Mad Men Blog: Is It Sexist?

    Mad Men Blog Entry

    

     In the show Mad Men, a message of patriarchy is blatantly inferred through the actions of the characters, however, I do not believe that the show is aimed to be sexist. Personally, just after watching a few episodes, it is clear to me what the writers are trying to show about the 1960s. That the relationship between men and women was extremely different than what we know today; men looked down on women and expected them to live up to their stereotypical roles whether it be as a housewife, a working woman, an independent woman or whatever else it may be, and women would agree to what men said and thought about them, without ever questioning a single thing.

     The writers behind Mad Men could be giving off a sense of patriarchy through their show. They could be portraying what the “good old days” were like and reminiscing about how great things were. But, I do not think that any of these are the case, I do not think that the writers are sexist or ignorant for that matter. I believe that they do their job in portraying what the real world was like and whether people agree with what they are doing are not, they have not altered the way they write and they continue to send out the message of how things were. If anything, I believe that the writers do a good job of opening peoples eye's to how inappropriate relations between men and women once were. If today’s men acted like Don Draper, divorce settlements would be an extremely common occurance. Women today are not the quiet, compliant housewives they once were, and they would not put up with a lying, cheating husband such as Don or the other men in the show. 

     Also, I believe if the writers were indeed sexist, the actions of the characters would be much more inconsistent. Because the behaviors and actions that are portrayed in Mad Men are very steady and flow well with the storyline. Peter Campbell, for example, comes across as a sleazy womanizer who tries to pull the wool over his new brides eyes and pretend that nothing has happened between him and other women, such as Peggy. Also, the show can not be sexist because it is true.      

     

     This past weekend I happened to have a conversation with my grandfather about the way things used to be in society, specifically in the New England area. He told me about how he would go out and work six days a week from eight in the morning to eight at night, while my grandmother stayed home and raised their kids. She would cook three meals a day and bake various treats throughout the day for her family to enjoy, drive the kids to and from school, sports, dance class and playdates. When my grandfather would arrive home after work, there was always a great meal waiting for him on the table. He would eat, shower, go to sleep and start all over again in the morning. It was a very simple way of living, but it’s the way they liked it, the only way they knew how to live. My grandfather did all the right things in taking care of his fmaily, but the harsh reality is that not as many men did as you would think. This is why I ultimately believe that the writers of Mad Men are not sexist, because as disturbing as it may be at times, it couldn’t be much more accurate in portraying the style of life in that time period.