The Influence Of Femininity In Mad Men

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Lastly, Joan Holloway and Midge Daniels can be perceived as the freest women in the public sphere. However, that freedom is created by both utilizing their femininity by taking different approaches. In the show, Joan has cleverly adapted to the lust-driven male-dominated public sphere and has become resistant to its practices. Joan therefore often comes across as callous towards both her male as female co-workers. Nonetheless, Joan still uses, or rather exploits, her femininity to achieve her goals. “Femininity, if one still wants to call it that, makes American women a target and a victim of the sexual sell” (Friedan 241). In other words, sex literally sells; Joan accordingly abuses this wisdom to actually sell herself, seduce her male colleagues, …show more content…

However, this sexism gives a perspective and portrayal on how women had to endure being suppressed, repressed, and even had to exploit their femininity to still get along in the male-driven public and private spheres in the sixties. Because of that, the series successfully achieves creating stereotypic realizations of both black and white women during that period. Coincidentally, the female lead characters (Betty Draper, Peggy Olson, Joan Holloway and Midge Daniels) discussed in the previous paragraphs were ranked least to most powerful in how much influence they had on their spheres. Still, it can be vouched for that Betty Draper is essentially the most powerful woman of all the female protagonists of the show. This is because she dared to voice her opinions and critique against her husband as well as men in general, just like Betty Friedan describes in The Feminine Mystique. On the superficial level, Betty and the two black restroom attendees are the most oppressed women discussed. Yet, they can therefore also be perceived as the freest women due to letting their voice being heard as a consequence of their oppression. Luckily, these depicted issues concerning femininity that women, of all races, had to endure in the sixties eventually lead to a stronger feminist movement which “raised everyone's consciousness about the importance of family issues, sexuality, and the role of women”

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