A lot has been written about Mad Men (and here at ZL, we are no exception), a show that has captivated our time with its stories from another one. Historian Stephanie Coontz’s article for The Washington Post may appear to be just another on the strength of the show’s female characters, but in actuality, her depiction of Mad Men as “TV’s most feminist show” could not be more accurate. She hits upon what I have seen to be the most telling aspect of why it is so — the difficulty viewers have watching it.

Coontz discusses asking women from the “Mad Men Generation” to watch the show, and the response that she received was surprising, explaining:

“… Most of these women refused to watch ‘Mad Men.’ Not because they found its portrayal of male-female relations unrealistic — in fact, many recounted treatment in real life that was even more dramatic and horrifying than that on the show. It was precisely because ‘Mad Men’ portrayed the sexism of that era so unflinchingly, they told me, that they could not bear to watch.”

This has ultimately been my experience. While many of my peers can happily sit down on a Sunday night to watch an episode, and still be thinking about it a few days later, with little to no deep sadness, it …

… seems to affect others differently. To watch with my parent’s generation is to see a story hit too close to home. The alcoholism, the ridiculously politically incorrect lifestyle, and of course, the flagrant sexism, cannot be overcome by the beautiful sets or clothes that sometimes carry me away. In fact, after sitting down with my mother to watch the first episode, she turned to me and said, “It’s just so sad.”

To me, this is what Mad Men does right. It doesn’t pander to what we want to see; it gives us exactly what we would have seen. Women don’t get what they want, and that’s dark, but it’s true. Coontz elaborates, “We should be glad that the writers are resisting the temptation to transform their female characters into contemporary heroines. They’re not, and they cannot be.” This is true almost to a heartbreaking degree. In Sunday’s episode, I saw Midge, one of the few characters I felt was empowered by her bohemian artist lifestyle, take a drastic fall from grace. No woman is safe in the world of Mad Men, and in our lives as well.

I am on no level detached from the show; the degree to which I feel I know these characters is definitely laughable. But compared to another historical drama that has recently come out, Boardwalk Empire, Mad Men shines even more. I had high hopes for Boardwalk; set on the eve of prohibition, right when women were enfranchised, it seemed poised to deal with the same issues that fascinate us about the 1960s and still resonate today. But I’ve grown weary with the almost entirely male cast, with women thrown into roles that are not particularly captivating, and feel as though they’re considered almost an afterthought. It seems that the boy’s club that created the show hasn’t been able to get past the stereotype that only men bootlegged alcohol, and the only women around were the mothers of their children, or the party girls that they slept with.

On Mad Men, Coontz suggests we look to the future, and where better to start than with the next generation; the Draper’s young daughter Sally is definitely who has the most potential to rebel against her parents middle-class suburban lifestyle to become a “bra-burning” hippie. If the show ever lets us get there. I wouldn’t be surprised if they cut it off before “liberation” occurred, but I hope they don’t. Even though we know it happened, it’s clear we need a little reminding what feminism is, no matter how hard it is to watch.

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One Response to “Mad Men Is Feminist, and Isn’t That Hard to Watch?”

1. The Star of that Other Other 60s Show Says It’s Not Sexist Either – Zelda Lily, Feminism in a Bra says:

   August 15, 2011 at 7:51 am

   [...] There is always the risk with these retro shows that rather than highlight everything that was wrong about the era, they make the sexism and racism seem like a ball of laughs. But just from the comments and discussions that have been had about Mad Men over the past few years that it’s been on the air, it seems as though most people can look through the glamour to see the problems lurking underneath. [...]

   Reply

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