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.

Athletes and Ad Campaigns

Blog Entry on Society: Athletes

   In today’s world, athletes are seen as role models for many children and are often portrayed as “superheroes” through different forms of advertisement. These advertisements at times give off a simulated sense of reality, but I do not believe the athlete is at fault for this, I just think that they need to realize how these subtle messages affect others lives. Every day, kids are exposed to male and female athletes with picture perfect physique doing extraordinary things and posing as if they were gods. The media photoshops these men and women to look more muscular and toned than they really are to sell their product. These “superhumans” look like so perfect because they use this product or shop at this store, is the message delivered to not only children, but adults worldwide. People are being tricked into a false reality when they see these people with great bodies, which gets them feeling self conscious about own form. In order to fix their bodily “problem” that they have self diagnosed, these men and women will then buy the advertised product in a desperate attempt to look like the person from the ad themselves. This is another reason of why I think media today can be an evil power.

   Personally, I see these ads and it can be hard to ignore. You want to be in the best shape you can be and look as good as possible, but that is always easier said than done. Genetics and lifestyle choices determine what you look and feel like, not the products you buy or stores you shop at. Another reality is that many of these athletes are using professional hormones, injecting themselves with anabolic steroids, testosterone boosters and other extreme and dangerous ways to build muscle. So, these ads even have the possibility of putting out hopes of results that only steroids would really be able to get you.

   Recently, I was watching a TV show when an ad came on for a deodorant brand. A very muscular man wearing boxer shorts and flexing his muscles burst through a wall screaming, saying that if you don’t use that brand of deodorant, you are not a man.I think this is one of the most ridiculous things in todays world because companies are literally picking apart the insecurities of their soon to be customers. Consumers guilt themselves into buying these products, thinking they owe it to themselves to make themselves better and closer to “perfect”, whatever that means. I hope that in the not so distant future, regulations will be set within the advertising businesses to not give out false hope or portray inaccurate senses of reality to people everywhere.

   In conclusion, I do not think that athletes and sports models are at fault for the effects certain forms of advertisements have on consumers, especially children. However, I do believe that they need to take more responsibility as celebrities and realize that some of these advertising campaigns can really mess with peoples heads and emotions.