‘A million girls would kill for this job’: Anna Wintour is hiring an assistant

Like Anna Hathaway’s character, Andy Sachs, the new hire will manage the 73-year-old icon’s calendar, including meetings, calls and events.

Knowing the difference between turquoise, lapis, and cerulean isn’t mentioned in the listing, which calls for strong writing and time-management skills, and an “impeccable attention to detail.”

“This is a tremendous opportunity for an ambitious, business-savvy professional who is passionate about culture, fashion, digital media, and content,” the listing reads.

But fashion lovers should probably apply sooner rather than later, as although Condé Nast only posted the job ad calling for an ‘Assistant to the Editor in Chief – American Vogue and Global Chief Content Officer’ a few days ago, it’s already gone viral.

Just like in the movie, people are divided on whether the job is a dream or a nightmare

Unsurprisingly, it wasn’t long before the job opening sparked comparisons to the 2006 movie starring Meryl Streep as the intimidating magazine boss Miranda Priestly.

Just like Sachs’ role in the movie, fans are divided on whether managing the diary of an icon like Wintour would be a dream or a nightmare.

With an advertised salary range of $60,000 to $80,000, many commented that the apparent stress of the role—probably partly based on what they witnessed in the film—isn’t worth the money. 

“I’ve dealt with her most recent EA, and that is not nearly enough compensation for the job,” Lita Monteiro, a creative director, warned candidates on Instagram. “Someone like Anna can and should pay like double that lower end bc that assistant will have no life and high blood pressure.”

Another added that they have “other ways of torturing myself, thank you.”

“For risk of never being invited to the Met Gala, let me just say that this sounds like a wonderful, low stress, and joyously lucrative opportunity. I’ve also never watched The Devil Wears Prada so I assume there’s absolutely nothing that would make me think otherwise. Good luck everyone,” another user joked. 

But as author Matt Ortile tweeted, in reference to a quote from the film, “A million girls would kill for this job!!!!”

60-80K to live in New York and will probably be on call 20 hours a day 6 days a week? Yeah what a dream.

— k (@embrya_cococure) June 12, 2023

The inspiration behind The Devil Wears Prada 

The role of Wintour’s assistant was made famous after Lauren Weisberger wrote the 2003 novel The Devil Wears Prada (which was later turned into the film of the same name) based on her personal experience of working in the role for 10 months.

Despite the glamour of attending star-studded events like the Met Ball and working for arguably the most influential figure in the fashion industry, Weisberger isn’t the only ex-employee of Wintour to warn of her nightmarish experience in the role. 

In a 2022 biography about Wintour titled Anna, one of her first assistants, Laura Schechter, claimed she lost eight pounds in two weeks of the grueling gig. Another assistant, Meredith Asplundh alleged that she was told not to leave her desk even if she needed to use the bathroom unless another assistant was present—just like Sachs in the movie. 

Wintour’s most recent assistant to quit and tell is Lily Stav. However, she has refreshingly been sharing her love for her former job in a series of TikTok videos that have racked up millions of views.

In a video that went viral last year, she shocked fans with the news that Wintour is a fan of outfit repeating—and that “everyone chic at Vogue does this.”

“I learned so so much from the job,” Stav captioned another video where she provided insight into how she landed the sought-after role.