Prada ambassador Scarlett Johansson fronts her third Prada Galleria [IG] bag campaign, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos [IG]. called a “breakthrough director” in press reports about the campaign. Prada regular Ferdinando Verderi, based now in New York, provided creative direction for a handbag Prada calls a “totem of change.”

As for Yorgos Lanthimos, he has been called a “breakthrough director” in press reports about the Galleria campaign. It’s the first time the two creatives Johansson and Lanthimos have worked together.

As Johannson explained to WWD, “the idea for this Prada campaign is a play on identity, the identities that live within all of us, the different masks we wear, the different characters we play, the different people we are with other people, in different relationships. The work becomes personally meaningful because you start to really feel it as you’re saying it, it starts to live more inside you – and then, you can really explore. This film is less about assuming a character, more about expressing different versions of myself.”

A totem of change: It’s indisputable, though, that the Prada Galleria campaign is focused on rituals, which have evolved among humans for thousands of years and are closely aligned with religion and spirituality. When you call a handbag a “totem of change”, this creative team, including Muiccia Prada and Raf Simons, is placing the Galleria on a significant pedestal.

The Prada campaign lovingly mocks rituals with Johannson embracing a very long — and seemingly absurd to-do list given her by an ‘other’ — in the execution of her particular ceremony. And while it’s not the intention of the Prada film and its creators to discredit the pursuit of ancient rituals more likely to occur among women, it is a reality that America’s right-wing does mock this trend.

From the standpoint of human psychology, Carl Jung called Johansson’s other self, the “shadow self”.

It’s not really about “expressing different versions of myself”, as Johannson stated. Only one self occupies the conscious mind. The shadow resides in the unconscious mind and contains qualities, impulses, and aspects of oneself that have been repressed or rejected due to internal or societal pressure.

As a very serious concept, we shouldn’t make the concept of our shadow self sound like wearing a red dress on Monday and a blue one on Wednesday. That does exist, of course, and actors must experience it intensely. But in the realms of human psychology, the “shadow self’ is rich terrain for personal evolution and growth — which I believe is the goal of this ritual, a sober journey even in the film.

Anne’s other self: I went through an intensive, multi-years journey with my ‘other’ self as she joined me in my dreams to walk me through very intense and painful events in my life. That process ended for a decade — only to start up again in recent years but only for a short period of time.

Remembering now, my last version of this dream, it did start out in a small, intimate, luxury store with a particular outfit I wore convincingly and with significant approval of the woman in the mirror. I walked out of that store into an incredibly beautiful scene in nature, where I ascended the hill with cherry blossoms showering me like a rainfall of joy. Anne always dreams in technicolor and I cannot express the beauty of this dream.

Personal and intentional rituals: In today's fast-paced, technologically advanced world, rituals have evolved and shifted from primarily public and religious events to more individualized, secular, and often overlooked daily practices.

While ancient rituals were often prescribed by community or institutional practices and laws, modern rituals are frequently personal ceremonies created by individuals to bring meaning, stability, and intention to their day and — for some — their larger lives.

This includes morning routines like carefully making coffee, evening rituals like a skincare regimen, or creative rituals like playing a specific song before writing. Prada probes a concept embued with more meaning — and AOC would hate to see the history of human rituals reduced to an advert for how to get silky hair.

Over thousands of years, rituals have been adopted by more females than males for multiple reasons. In this case rituals can and do move into the tenuous arena of witchcraft, serving not only the purpose of exhaltation of a spirit or idea, but also a form of internal rebellion, female emancipation and power.

Gen Z women are leaving organized religion: Speaking only of America, religion remains as divisive as it is unifying because we worship at least four different visions of God under Christianity and countless more from other faiths and ancient indigenous practices.

Evolving rituals among men — and especially young white men seeking to reinstitute ancient, female-controlling behaviors in the name of God — will accelerate the corresponding pursuit of ancient rituals where women were not only revered, but held more real power and influence.

The beliefs, priorities and values of young women v. young men is now a staggering and astonishing chasm in America, one never seen before. A 2024 study from the esteemed, right-leaning American Enterprise Institute found that Gen Z women are leaving the church at unprecedented rates, citing issues such as traditional norms regarding gender roles, disagreements over LGBTQ+ rights, and perceived institutional hypocrisy.

A September 2025 NBC online study comparing the values of young men who backed Trump vs young women who backed Harris was great fodder for MAGA and other right-wing groups. The survey emphasized the shallowness and self-absorption of the Harris supporters, according to MAGA men.

Gen Z women embrace new spiritual practices: Instead of abandoning faith altogether, many Gen Z women are exploring personal spirituality independent of religious dogma. This involves building a more individual relationship with the divine or a higher power, rather than through structured religious services.

Prada doesn’t need advice from me because they are a brand with deep intellectual roots. My only point is that most brands don’t have Prada’s stature or intellect. If you intend to explore values and ideas expressed by the this new Prada Galleria campaign, be certain that you’ve met with enough Gen Z women to understand their inner selves and beliefs on this larger issue of women, rituals, spirituality and religion.

There’s another event that happened Saturday night in Rome, one that is very relevant to this discussion. Hold tight; it’s coming. ~ Anne