Mad Men

will have in life. When women are involved with successful men, women tend to depend on men more; however, single women earn independence as the single females do not depend on the income of men. The show, Mad Men, takes place in the 1960’s New York, portraying the life of the protagonist, Don Draper (Jon Hamm), the Creative Director of Sterling Cooper Agency, an advertising agency owned by Roger Sterling (John Slattery). Don Draper is praised for his work, but many of the employees in the company, including Draper, are filled with arrogance and disrespect that not only the men face, but that women tolerate. The episode “Shoot” mainly focuses on Don’s wife…

In the 1960’s, men were notorious, overpowering, and degrading towards women in the workforce and at home. In today’s society, many argue that women do not receive the same rights and privileges as the men. Not only do women not receive the same rights as men, but many men and women believe that there is a discrepancy when it deals with the amount a man earns compared to a woman, displaying the inequality between genders. In the television show, Mad Men, the show portrays the lives of the…

In the episode “Babylon” from the television show Mad Men, the male characters use diction patterns that objectify Joan, and, in turn, Joan’s actions and dialogue show that she is willing to objectify herself; the emphasis on her sexuality allows Joan to gain power in the workplace. There are many different examples of objectification throughout “Babylon”; the male character’s objectifying diction patterns displays the level of superiority men of the 60s believed they had over their female…

The AMC hit series Mad Men is notorious for it’s portrayal of gender ideologies and sexist concepts within the 1960’s era. While portraying gender stereotypes and major social issues of the time, Mad Men also serves as a reference of linguistic concepts discussed in Penelope Eckert and Sally McConnell-Ginet's Language and Gender. Social issues revolving around men and women in the workplace being reinforced by conversational choices is a major examples displayed within the show. Mad Men’s pilot…

sexist relationships and interactions. Moi mentions the early version of Gilbert and Gunbar’s theory of destructive messages in literature claiming that “Singling out the fear of being fixed in false images or trapped in inauthentic roles is the most compelling fear in women’s fiction” (Moi). That would explain why Betty, Don’s wife, was hated for her traits of the dependent housewife whose life was sucked out from inside her, leaving her empty and numb. When she plops her children in front of…

George isn’t a mad murderer! In John Steinbeck’s book, Of Mice and Men, George’s actions are often debated upon. George’s actions throughout the book were all justified. This story demonstrates an extremely strong friendship between George and his mentally challenged friend, Lennie. It may seem that George is sometimes too tough on Lennie, but this is how he disciplines Lennie to keep him in line and out of trouble. George gives Lennie companionship and someone to talk to. He also wants to see…

Mad Men's Portrayal of Sexism and Stereotyping of Women in the Sixties In July 2007, the first episode of Matthew Weiner's Mad Men aired on the American television. The television series shows and tells about the lives of admen (men employed in the advertisement business) in the sixties. At the time of its first airing, the series became well praised by the critics and was lauded by The New York Times for being “a series that breaks new ground by luxuriating in the not-so-distant past”…

The miscellaneous Era of “Mad Men” When I first heard about “Mad Men” as a Television Drama for the first time in my Writing 101 class, I visioned a scene where the story revolves around men who were crazy. They probably must have done something awful that needed some critical thinking from a bunch of Freshmen in order to improve their writing. Lauren M.E. Goodlad who is an associate professor of English at the University of Illinois and directs the Unit of Criticism and Interpretative Theory,…

Mad (Wo)Men Mad Men successfully depicted the glamorous life of advertising in the 1960s. However, despite its fascinating portrayal, a recurring theme throughout the show was obvious: the inferiority of and sexism towards women in the industry. It was clear that power came through powerful men, and that while being pretty can get you on the ladder, it will not get you to the top. In 2016, we like to think that this misogynistic industry has changed significantly. From a surface level,…

Advertising’s purpose is to make people buy products. At their core, all advertisements are promises that “buying our product will make you happy!” The thrill of buying and using products can’t provide happiness, however. This truth is evident in the show Mad Men with the character Don. In the Mad Men episode "Babylon," advertising is a symbol for Don's life because like the advertising industry, Don is always searching for happiness in externals and not looking within; the viewer can see that…