Mad Men Episode 1

Mad Men is finally on Australian free-to-air TV, (SBS Thursday 8:30) and I found it a fascinating program. The glimpse into life in the 50s was very interesting and, to be quite frank, shocking.

Yes I could talk about the pretty dresses, the great shoes, fabulous makeup and coiffed hair, but I’m not going to. I’m going to talk about the attitudes towards women.

I was appalled at what was portrayed. Is this what it was really like? Just to summarise some of the sexist behaviour:

Peggy Olsen

• Turns up for her first day at work and is verbally harassed in the lift by four young executives.
• Is standing in her bosses office when she is verbally harassed again by one of the executives, Pete Campbell, and her boss, Don Draper, doesn’t step in until the dressing down is complete.
• Is told by all of the women around her that she would do better if she dressed more appealingly.
• Is told that the previous girl was moved on because Mr Draper didn’t want to sleep with her.
• Is sent by the office manager, Joan Holloway, to a doctor who proscribes the pill to unmarried women.
• Agrees with the doctor when he treats her like a child.
• Allows all of the above behaviour to happen to her without saying a word, and accepts it as the norm.

Don Draper

• Is outraged when the head of Menken’s Department Store, a woman called Rachel Menken, tells him that the advertising strategy he proposes is wrong, he gets outraged and walks out of the room.
• Implies to Rachel Menken over drinks that her ultimate aim should be to get married and have children, “wouldn’t that make you happy?”

Pete Campbell

• Tells his finance that “it’s just a bachelor party” then sexually harasses a random woman in a strip bar and then, when he’s rejected, rocks up at Peggy’s place for a freebie (she is stupid and takes him in, I could have slapped her at that point).

Rachael Menken

• Is a powerful and independent woman, but when asked by Don Draper over drinks why she isn’t married, she says because she hasn’t been in love, as opposed to she’ll marry when she finds a man who respects her and can be an equal, not a parent.
• And let's throw a little racism into the mix, when Don Draper and his boss feel compelled to find a Jewish employee "had to go all the way down to the mail room" to be in the meeding so the Jewish Miss Menken will feel comfortable that one of "her sort" is present.

In the end, the only character I find appealing is the artist Midge Daniels, who rejects Don Draper’s casual proposal of marriage while they sleep together with “what, I should become the new Mrs Ex Draper?” She states "she doesn’t’ do dishes or babies".

Now, I know hope this has been exaggerated for television, and even if it hasn’t, presumably an advertising agency is more of a hotbed environment than any other, but still…

I was appaled by what I saw. Thank you to the first feminists, who have meant that I can work part time and have a family and not be judges, and who have meant that my best friend can be a seriously big thing in business in Singapore and not be constantly asked if she needs children to make her happy (hi Keffy!)

So, let me know what you think about this snapshot into the 1950s.

And if you missed the first episode, and it is totally worth watching, check it out at SBS.

NOTE: Quotes from the show are not accuate, I've paraphrased the whole thing, but the intent is there. Image care of the AMC Mad Men site.

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