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The long-awaited sequel to 2006\u2019s smash hit \u201cThe Devil Wears Prada\u201d is getting some pushback, being accused of \u201cblatant racism\u201d for leaning into Asian stereotypes.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe Devil Wears Prada 2,\u201d starring Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep, is getting blasted over a brief moment in a trailer. The scene introduces Andy Sachs\u2019 (Hathaway) new assistant, Jin Chao, played by Helen J. Shen, who some say is portrayed as a nerdy, socially awkward Ivy League grad.<\/span><\/p>\n In the trailer, Andy appears reserved upon meeting Jin, prompting the assistant to quickly rattle off her credentials.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you don\u2019t want me, you can interview someone else. That\u2019s totally fine,\u201d Jin says. \u201cI did go to Yale, 3.86 GPA, lead soprano of [Yale singing group] the Whiffenpoofs, and my ACT score was 36 on the very first time.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Commenters also took issue with the way Jin donned a buttoned-up collared shirt and thick glasses, which they argue feel out of place for employees at a major fashion company.<\/span><\/p>\n Social media users from around the world, especially in Asian countries, expressed their frustration with the clip.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe promotion up to this point was really great, but right before release, they suddenly hit us with blatant anti-Asian racism and flipped the car,\u201d one user in Japan wrote in a post that\u2019s been viewed more than 16 million times.<\/span><\/p>\n \u30d7\u30e9\u30c0\u3092\u7740\u305f\u60aa\u9b54\u3001\u3053\u3053\u307e\u3067\u306e\u30d7\u30ed\u30e2\u30fc\u30b7\u30e7\u30f3\u3081\u3063\u3061\u3083\u826f\u304b\u3063\u305f\u306e\u306b\u3001\u516c\u958b\u76f4\u524d\u306b\u7a81\u7136\u30c9\u76f4\u7403\u306e\u30a2\u30b8\u30a2\u4eba\u5dee\u5225\u3092\u898b\u305b\u3064\u3051\u3066\u304d\u3066\u6a2a\u8ee2 https:\/\/t.co\/uNUYIzXl7U<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 \u9ec4\u8272\u4eba\u7a2e\u3061\u3083\u3093 (@dekaketu_purin) April 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u201cWe are in 2026\u2026 what made them think we\u2019ll find this kind of racism funny,\u201d another commenter <\/span>said<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cShort stature, messy hair, childish clothing, big glasses, a ton of qualifications and high education and grades, servile and incompetent, a name that sounds just like \u2018Ching Chang Chong,’\u201d a third person echoed. \u201cIn this day and age, deliberately clipping out such a thick, over-the-top level of Asian stereotype that\u2019s actually rare nowadays for ad use\u2014did they judge that going full-on with the blatant discrimination would be more commercially appealing??\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n As The Hollywood Reporter <\/span>noted<\/span><\/a>, a lot of the widespread criticism is the result of X posts being automatically translated, meaning comments from around the world are being circulated in the United States.<\/span><\/p>\n However, some, including Korean-American filmmaker Joseph Kahn, said the backlash reflects a cultural misunderstanding and claims that Jin is so weird she\u2019s cool, at least to a Gen Z audience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s an uproar with Japanese Twitter about this Asian character. They feel she\u2019s a caricature, which she is, but not about Asians but Gen Z. Her outfit is actually very couture in a film about fashion,\u201d he <\/span>wrote<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHer glasses and hair clips are of the moment. The body shape disparity comes from Anne Hathaway who mandated there would be \u2018diversity of sizes\u2019 which could either be taken as genuine virtue signaling or an actress wanting to be the skinniest and tallest onscreen. Nevertheless, the Asian character is being depicted as a fashionable, striver in the fashion world with typical Gen Z neurodivergency.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNerds don\u2019t exist in Gen Z because they\u2019re all awkward freaks and all dress like Nintendo cartoons,\u201d he concluded. \u201cAnyway Japan, welcome to America.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n