Mad Men: Gender Roles In 1960s American Culture

In the television series “Mad Men”, created by Matthew Weiner, we are showcased many values of the 1960s American culture. Two of the leading perceptions that are reflected in the Mad Men series include the idea of the perfect house, family, having a good career and owning materialistic possessions known as the “American Dream”, and the unequal gender roles in the 1960s society.

Mad Men explores the different gender roles in the 1960’s and expresses the strong male dominance enhanced in the American culture. The women in Mad Men are categorised and forced aside into either domestic roles or tedious occupations. Many of these women stayed at home to be a housewife, and to be supportive for their husbands. The women in the office were seen to

provide pleasure to business men by using their sexuality and were easily replaceable.
Throughout the Mad Men episodes, costuming is a major technique that conveys and emphasizes the difference between the genders.

The men are dressed in elaborate empowering dark suits, whereas the women must wear tight, sexual and satisfying outfits for the men. The women were used in the workplace to showcase their figure hugging clothing, such as Joan Harris. If women weren’t wearing the appropriate clothing and being conservative such as Peggy, they would then be ridiculed for this. Joan told Peggy, “But a girl like you, with those darling little ankles, I’d find a way to make them sing.” Mad Men gives the audience a visual of how women were treated in the 1960’s workforce. Mad Men has also utilized dialogue to convey the strong sexism in the office. During episode 6, representation of gender and sexism was portrayed in the Belle Jolie lipstick advertisements. Freddy Rumsen, a senior copywriter states “I don’t speak moron, let’s throw it to the chickens”. Here, he is implicating that women are morons, and that the secretarial pool are a bunch of chickens. Although women have come a long way in society, a modern audience can still reflect on this and see that not a lot has changed in women’s roles in society. Women are still often judged on their appearance and looked down upon in the workplace. Men had the power and authorisation over women, and in means still do in today’s

society.
Mad men also explores and focuses on the “American Dream” in the 1960’s. This was the image of a perfect lawn, house, car and family. Mad Men focuses on the idea of the “American Dream” and includes the notion that everyone desired to be married and own a house in the suburbs. However, the characters in Mad Men conform to the society around them, and everyone seems to be hiding something, or living their own secret life. In the office, Don is well known and is seen as successful and well off. Pete Campbell continually tries to obtain the same status but keeps failing at his efforts. Don is constantly chasing the American Dream. At home however Don, Pete, Peggy live completely different lives. Their true colours show and their unhappiness for the time period they are living in becomes apparent. Throughout episode three of Mad Men we are shown values of the American Dream in the 1960’s. With various camera shots and angles, we are given an insight to Don Drapers own little world. It shows the children playing in the yard, mimicking their parent’s behaviours and expose the façade of the American Dream. An establishing shot of the front of the Draper household us used to show the audience the attaining of the American dream for this family.
In episode 6, Don Draper has a flashback of when he was a child falling down the stairs, with his little brother being born. Camera angles and shots make Don looked anxious and confused and positioned the audience to have more power. Don Drapers world is falling apart, and isn’t at perfect as it all seems to be as the “American Dream”. We are positioned to appreciate the success of Don Draper and see his success as something to be admired. Mad Men gives the audience an insight of to what the 1960’s “American Dream” was, and is still relatable to in today’s society. Everybody still chases the idea of having that ‘perfect’ lifestyle.

During Mad Men series, the American Dream, and the roles that women played in the 1960s were successfully reflected. The American Dream was the idea of having the perfect American lifestyle. In the early episodes of Mad Men, the families are shown to own lovely houses, cars and have decent occupations and everyone was chasing the “American Dream. However later on we find the men always drinking and smoking, cheating on their wives and their jobs, and hiding a second secret life. Mad Men often remind us of how far women have come in society from the 1960s.Women’s roles were effectively shown in the office, family homes and in general society, with the women constantly having less power and authority against the men.