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Girl Bosses: The Iconic Communications & PR Girls Who Graced Our Screens In The 2000s

The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Toronto MU chapter.

The 2000s is undeniably one of the most iconic film and television decades highlighting strong independent women. From Sex and the City to The Devil Wears Prada, the 2000s were filled with badass women with careers in public relations or communications.

The women of this time pushed remarkable boundaries and inspired us all to be the best versions of ourselves in our careers (and look fabulous while doing it).

Here is a roundup of my favourite women-led movies and TV shows of the 2000s with a female lead involved in the public relations or communications field.

The Devil wears prada

The Devil Wears Prada is one of the most inspirational movies of the 2000s. It tied fashion, comedy, and drama into a well-orchestrated one-hour film.

The star-studded cast of Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt made the movie the success it is today.

Hathaway plays a struggling journalist and lands a job as an assistant to an infamous editor of a New York fashion magazine. She soon learns that this is no normal job and that her boss might be sent from hell. She navigates life with her newfound job, working with top fashion designers, attending public events, and tending hand and foot to her boss.

The movie showcases strength and resilience and the power of women.

13 going on 30

13 Going on 30 is the perfect film that mixes chic 2000s style, romance, and comedy to create an iconic story.

Released in 2004 and starring Jennifer Garner, the film follows 13-year-old Jenna Rink, who faces struggles with boys and friendships, wishing on her 13th birthday to be “Thirty, Flirty and Thriving.”

After that wish, Rink is transformed into a 30-year-old fashion editor for one of New York’s biggest fashion magazines, Poise. While there, she tries to reconnect with an old friend which subsequently leads to a romance that no one expected.

The plot of the movie signified the coming-of-age story that many women face, such as fantasizing about life and having goals and aspirations — but drawbacks can happen that ultimately make us question our decisions.

13 Going on 30 is a spunky movie that has stood the test of time and has cemented itself as Hollywood royalty.

Sex and the city

Sex and the City was one of daytime television’s biggest shows in the ’90s and early 2000s. The show follows four friends Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda as they take on life in New York City.

Carrie Bradshaw, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, is a writer for Vogue and a sex columnist for her own paper, Sex and the City. Her stories surround her life: dating experiences, love life, and friendships. She is the ultimate fashion icon with her style influencing Gen Z and her iconic catchphrases making rounds on TikTok.

Carrie is the ultimate girl boss living in a highrise apartment in New York, taking on the world and doing so with one designer heel at a time.

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days starring Kate Hudson is the perfect comedy movie.

Andie Anderson is an advice columnist for a newspaper and comes up with a story on how to get a man to leave you in 10 days. She finds her target Benjamin Barry — played by Matthew McConaughey — and coincidentally he had a bet with his boss that he could make her fall in love with him in 10 days. Unbeknownst to him, Andie is only dating him to get content for her article.

The movie follows the two leads as they deal with unwanted feelings, comedic banter, romantic nights, an infamous karaoke session to “You’re So Vain” by Carly Simon, and a heartbreaking betrayal.

It’s safe to say this movie represents all the badass women out there who are not afraid to prove a man wrong and look fabulous while doing it. 

The 2000s was the decade for girl bosses. These women inspired me to chase those silly dreams of being a writer and expressing myself through my words, and these movies have stamped themselves as iconic films that will be remembered for many generations to come. 

Abigail Smith Bennett is a Politics and Governance student at TMU . Her writing covers matters about beauty, pop-culture, music and social justice. Abby found her for writing through a playwriting course she did in 2019, since then she has found different ways to express her creative self. Abby's song of the year is Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter.