The women of "Mad Men"

I just finished watching the first three seasons of the show Mad Men. While I don't think it was the best show I have ever seen I did keep me mostly entertained. It was thought provoking to say the least. A few years ago I read a book called "No Logo" that was about the advertisement industry's manipulation of the American consumer. Most people do not realize how much we are manipulated but advertisement watching a dramatization of this industry was what originally attracted me to watching the show. I could do an entire post on the industry, and maybe one day I will but "Mad Men" doesn't really examine the ad industry. It doesn't make any judgements on the industry's manipulation. The manipulation is there and acknowledged but none of the writers or characters experience any real angst about it. In spite of this disappointment, what kept me watching was the general portrayal of the early 1960's and more specifically the portrayal of women in that time period.

There are three major women characters of note in the show. First, Peggy Olsen is a young woman from Brooklyn who starts at the ad firm as a secretary and eventually works her way up as the first woman copywriter in the firm. Initially, she is portrayed as a mouse-ish school girl virgin. She has no concept of her sexuality and femininity. While she is clearly competent she has no idea how to act in a male dominated office. It is very interesting watching her grow and develop, watching her insecurities melt away, watching he learn that she has just as much value as any man.

Joan Hollaway is the very smart, very savvy, very sexy office manager who leaves the firm to marry a doctor. She has the abilities to take down or build up any person she chooses. But unlike most of the men in the show she uses her brains for good and not evil. She is smarter than her husband the doctor, better spoken that the slickest ad men, and classier then the wealthiest debutant. I find myself wanting to know more and more what makes her tick.

Finally, Bitsy Draper is the suburban stepford housewife of the main character. In season one we are shown a character who is hopelessly devoted to her husband even though she knows he cheats on her and lies to her. Eventually, it becomes too much and she leaves him. However, in typical mainline fashion not until she has another rich man lined up to take his place. For me her story is the saddest and the most typical.

Each of these women have an character arc which is sometimes depressing but always interesting. The show pulls no punches when dealing with women and their roles in the early 1960's. It shows the harassment, assault, and lack of choice that women of that time were forced to deal with openly. Of course all of these things are around today of course but they are much more suppressed and behind closed doors.

I have often heard people who call themselves conservatives recall this time period fondly. All I can say is this was a hard time to be a woman. Any woman who takes for granted the freedom she has today should watch this show and see how things have changed.

Oh and PS the costuming of these women is great!