To many feminists, "Mad Men", the AMC show that opened the world of advertising to a broad television audience and made vintage clothing and martinis cool again, evokes a reaction as unpleasant as biting on a piece of tin foil.
Yes, the leading characters in the show are all male. Yes, they are sexist, racist, homophobic, antisemitic, cheat on their wives, drink hard liquor before 9 a.m. and do whatever they goddamn please. But -- as the title says “Mad Men” is not a show about women. While it would be nice to see at least one powerful, strong, industry-leading advertising wonderwoman, that’s not the case simply because the show is meant to depict a male-dominated cut-throat industry and American society.
The show is set during the 1960s, and that’s exactly how many men acted then. Let’s face it, despite feminism and equal wage laws, women all over the world still experience this kind of treatment from men every day.
Throughout its four seasons, however, “Mad Men’s” writers have done a great job at developing the female characters. Fact is, fifty years ago women had less options and made different career choices.
Being the wife of an influential advertising executive was a desirable “career choice” and included the whole package deal: A big suburban house or apartment in Manhattan’s posh Upper East Side, an expensive new car and dreams of motherhood. An ambitious dream come true for Betty Draper and Trudy Campbell, wives of “Mad Men” accounts manager Pete Campbell and creative director Don Draper.
Their counterparts Peggy Olson, Draper’s former secretary, now senior copywriter and Joan Harris, currently the ad agency’s office manager, work to live and live to work.
To the occasional viewer all of these women seem powerless - mere arm candy and sidekicks to the male characters.
Their counterparts Peggy Olson, Draper’s former secretary, now senior copywriter and Joan Harris, currently the ad agency’s office manager, work to live and live to work.
To the occasional viewer all of these women seem powerless - mere arm candy and sidekicks to the male characters.
But are they really?
Pregnant with her third child and tired of her husband’s philandering Betty Draper takes charge of her life. She meets a successful politician, divorces Don and remarries.
Peggy Olson, formerly known as Don's secretary, is a glowing example for the transformation from gray mouse to successful businesswoman. As the only female copywriter, she has her own accounts, oversees an all male creative team, treats her former boss as an equal and is confident enough to criticize the men she works with. Free from living at her oppressive mother’s house, the new Peggy chooses the men she sleeps with and the women she fools around with.
And what about Rachel Menken? Powerful, rich and Jewish, her affair with Don made history during the first season. When he wants to run away with her, she refuses and eventually withdraws all of her father’s department store’s business from the ad agency. Sorry Mr. Draper, this time your charme didn't get you everything you wanted.
Despite occasional tender moments of true friendship and respect between men and women, “Mad Men” depicts a world where women are generally not equal to men. The simplified message here is that such behavior is acceptable and goes unpunished. Considering the time and the cultural background, however, it comes down to one thing: That’s they way things worked back then.
Just like “Sex in the City” is a show about women in the in the early years of the new century, “Mad Men” is about men during the middle of the last century.
Of course I’d love to see some nice guys or at least some eye candy in the show, but for now I am content to be entertained by a scenario far, far removed from my own world view.
