This is a spoiler-free post: Mad Men, the drama series about ad men on Madison Avenue in the early sixties, is probably the most written-about show on the planet right now. So here’s just what you need – another post on the subject. The second season has just kicked off on BBC4 but I finished watching the series this weekend – yet another Saturday night leaves not even a ripple on the surface of my social life.
Anyway, I found this season so different from the first and so much more enjoyable. A friend of mine says she can’t watch Mad Men because it’s sexist, but I don’t know what to think about that. The early sixties were certainly sexist, but does this make Mad Men sexist? Surely Jane Austen is sexist then too? And how can I like it so much if it’s sexist? I think it’s just a period drama set in a time when women were in the workplace, but certainly not respected there.
There is an episode in this series that made me cry unexpectedly. Nothing particularly sad happened, it was just an accumulation of situations, thoughts and experiences of the women that made me a little despairing. Or maybe it was the fact that I related so much to one woman’s situation in the sixties that made me feel a bit desperate.
The writing behind this show is fantastic – it’s written by Sopranos writer Matthew Weiner – and the insight into the interior lives of characters like Betty (Alpha Male Don Draper’s trophy wife) and Joan (who breaks my heart) is particularly touching. Anyway, I just wanted to send out this love letter and tell anyone who isn’t watching it to switch it on. You won’t be disappointed. You might be depressed. But not disappointed.
It’s brilliant. Such an array of great characters, and so lovely to look at too. Hurry up season 3!
Katherine – there’s a whole other post about Joan’s dresses alone!
I think people who call Mad Men sexist are missing the point – it’s (partly) about sexism, and that doesn’t make it sexist. It’s pretty clear that the programme isn’t celebrating the situation of women in the early ’60s (although it rightly celebrates their fabulous clothes).
Also, I want every single item of clothing owned by both Betty and Joan. Together they make my dream wardrobe.
Penny, those girls are what I call ‘well put together’. I even found myself hankering after Betty’s tight floral mid-thigh shorts even though I know they would be a horror show on me. WTF??
I agree with you and your friend. I found the first season a bit hard to get through – thankfully I had downloaded the entire thing, so I had no choice but to watch. It was drenched in sexism without adequate irony. But it was only (riskily) laying the foundation for the richness of season 2. Now I’m totally hooked.
I think the writing is good, but I think the acting is even better. Betty is so appealing, and she’s the one I thought I’d like the least. Joan is amazing, I don’t know where she’s been hiding in Hollywood, but I’m so glad they found her.
I hope they are silly enough to cancel it like they do with anything else worth watching!
It’s not so much that it is sexist because of the separation of the men and women since it is based in that time period, but it’s sexist in that it is more of a glorification of the time period. A lot of people who watch it think what simpler times, when that’s often tied to the predetermined gender roles which were also prevalent in those ‘simpler’ times.
It is a period drama, agreed, but it is modern enough to also be seen in our current age, where as the older ones are at a larger disjoint with current standards and etiquette.
At least, that’s how I see it.
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