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Have A Drink, Have A Smoke, Its Madison Avenue

Set in the heart of New York City in the1960’s AMC’s award winning Mad Men follows the lives of ruthless competitive men and women of Madison Avenue advertising. The provocative, stylized and even sexy show displays the ego-driven world of corporate life constructed straight out of the 60’s. This seductive drama was earned two Golden Globes as well as being nominated for 16 Emmy’s, those accolades aren't done without gaining the attention of a lot of people. Since it aired the allure of, “high modernism, narrow lapels, bullet bras, smoking, heavy drinking at lunch, good hotel sex, and bad office sex” (Handy, 2009)-Vanity Fair  has written itself into the books of pop culture today. 

Critics can't disagree, the highly decorated show has captured even the stiffest critics, after all, for show to win two Golden Globes is not accomplished without the support of critics. There is something that draws viewers to this show, for the younger audience we can sit back a see how things were and what we have learned. It doesn't hurt that the stylized and provocative nature of the show can be described as nothing short of a guilty pleasure.  For the generations in between the hook is still in the appeal of the discovery in the 60’s that is displayed so well. It leaves the audience enthralled what it would be like to where the men and women of Sterling Cooper smoke, drink, love, and lie. Life just seems to easy but still with all of the dirty little secrets at play that reminds us that this show is more than just showing us the life of a working man in the 60’s.

Perhaps what brings fans to participate in the culture of the show is sex, heavy drinking, style, sexism and the ego of Madison Avenue. Without fail these aspects of society are entwined with pop culture. Time after time, its sells, the show to simply be put was a classic since the first episode. Stepping into that culture ripples to our influence in pop culture today, Mad Men drinking, Mad Men suits and Mad Men lies. If only we could all be as cool as Don Draper, thats really what this show is all about. We come to idolize these characters who cheat, drink and lie. Ethically we love this show for all the wrong reasons and yet its such a good feeling. We can enjoy this show because we have a now we know better mindset, “We watch and know better about male chauvinism, homophobia, anti-semitism, workplace harassment, housewives’ depression, nutrition and smoking.”Vanity Fair It’s like watching an R-rated movie when you're a kid when your parents arent home. Sooner or later the audiences faces the truth about the office culture.

Despite the cultural differences from the 60’s compared to today, fans of the shows and creators of pop culture don't hesitate to get involved. it is after all a fun theme to play with. 'Mad Men' Character Cocktails. Or even better Don Drapers Guide to Classy Day Drinking. 

Mad Men has grasped the attention of many of the largest media outlets. A good example comes from GQ’s Punch List: Mad Men showing up twice on their Cultural To-Dos.

Much of the media outlets and participatory culture surrounding this show is centered around, (you guessed it) drinking, and a little bit of style. With such a highly saturated visual market for style and image that is displayed in the media, this show offers a perfect channel to feature such content. So much of pop culture today is surrounded style and image, right or wrong this is the pion of image and stylized culture. A lot of the content comes from the top, Mashable, Reddit, Huffington Post, GQ, Vanity Fair. These caliber outlets generate the most content to its audience, initiating their participation. For QG this show is right up there ally, modernism, sex, drinking and most of all.The 5 Best Dressed Gents from Last Nights Mad Men, a frequent list constructed by GQ. Banana Republic even launched a Mad Men inspired  clothing line.

However there was still a large presence in content generated by fans regarding alliterative conspiracies to the show. Much of the content focuses on each character. There is a lot to be said about each character in their actions, this opens the door for debate about how the characters fate will unfold, for example this page from Reddit shows fans involvement discussing Mad Men fantasies and alternatives. Spin-Off Fantasies. Another interesting example comes from a blogger and Mad Men fan who took it upon themselves to create twitter accounts for multiple characters of the show. Before they knew it the twitter accounts had gained 10’s of thousands of followers. Once it reached a large enough scale, AMC actually blacklisted the twitter accounts. Since the accounts were not affiliated, AMC sought out action to take the pages down. From a marketing standpoint it was good publicity but without having control on the accounts they were taken down.

It seems that fans are always drawn to anti-hero characters, Don Draper could be considered a monster but any fan of the show would convince you he is the coolest many on TV and provide many examples. What this show is really about at its core is what makes it interesting but what the show is liked for is very different and has something to say about of society. The themes are very clear if the show is watched on mute, sexism, egotistical men, adultery, abortion, racsim, alcoholics and a few other gems from the 60’s. Boiling it down to what the show represents does seem like its so suave. Yet that is what pop culture feeds on, provocative, edgy content that the audience clearly can't get enough of.  It was hard to find critics of the show, there out there, someone had to pick up on the degraded role of woman in the show but majority shows the slicked hair,suited, cigarette smoking man outweighs the cries of a few critics. What it really boils down to is the foundation of pop culture, image.

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A Mad Analysis of Gender

The setting of this show offers a unique look at the cultural interpretations the authors and the creators of the show have chosen to represent. Although race has been brought up as a topic in the show the authors continue to focus on their interpretations of the roles of gender.The topics of this analysis will highlight, gender bias, masculinity, sexism and workplace diversity.

Although this show may be accurate to its era, it is still a relevant source of media in our culture. Therefore an argument can be made about the impact of certain themes in this analysis. Gender bias in a work environment will be a topic for debate as long as men and women work together. The roles of gender, leadership and sexism in the workplace today present a modern discussions on the current state of these affairs. In tune with these argument items, marital status, female oppression and other gender conflicts provide further topics for debate. Given the popularity of this show, the content represents a source of mass media and pop culture. Material that is observed by millions of viewers with a variety of genders and opinions. It is important to analyze these themes because it influences the audience's perception of reality in their present day lives.

The first step in this analyze is to identify characters of the show that represent the most relevant roles for the themes in this discussion. Chosen to represent these themes are three women and three men. These characters and their story lines present the best gender bias interpretations for analysis. The three female characters are Peggy, a female executive working in the shows Ad Agency, Betty, the oppressed wife of Ad mogul Don Draper and Joan, the office’s head secretary. Each woman in this show displays different stereotypes and roles within their characters storyline. The men most accurately chosen for discussion are Don Draper the main character and head of the department, Salvatore, the Art Director and Michael an account coordinator.

In order to understand the roles of these characters in correspondence to the examples that will be used, it is important to first highlight the topic of gender roles. The roles of gender in this show are deeply rooted with stereotypes. As recognized by Hang Yue Ngo in her study of gender roles men are socialized as assertive, aggressive and task oriented. Woman on the other hand are tender, emotional and communal. (Ngo, Forley, Shuang, Loi, 2013) The group of males face plenty of adversity in the seasons of the show. Although their gender roles are stretched, the core of their characters intentionally cheats towards the guidelines of the male stigma to maintain their role in the company. As the show goes on we see the characters combat their stereotype, in particular the woman of this show struggle to break the confines of their stereotype. Given the era, it was expected to be defined by your gender and treated accordingly. As the woman find themselves entwined the business world, their characters and stereotypes are tested as they respond to the oppression of their roles. As Ngo further explains, the success of character male or female comes from their psychological capital, their self-efficiency, hope, resilience and optimism. (Ngo et al. 2013)

A perfect example of this trait comes from Peggy Olsen. Upon her arrival to the show she makes great gains to preserve in a mans world. The gender role dynamic in the workplace is an explicit subject in this show. Author Hans-Joachim Wolfram identifies the transformative leadership roles between gender. In the findings, women are less likely to benefit from terms of leadership effectiveness. (Wolfram & Gratton, 2014) This is the boundary that Peggy is faced with as she claws her way into a role of leadership and contribution to the agency. She is the first character to displace the male dominance  in the office. It is interesting that not only is she looked down upon for this position by men but also as woman. The other woman are so bound to their gender roles that this notion is seen as equally negative as the men. This theme can also be applied to Salvatore the art director, along with Peggy these two characters are shown breaking their gender stereotypes. As the show unfolds Salvatore turns out to be gay. This is kept in deep secret, not to be known by anyone else in the office to damage his integrity as a dominant male. Further research from Wolfram implies that possessing feminine traits is associated with displaying female behavior. (Wolfram & Gratton, 2014) To keep his position intact he must suppress his sexuality to maintain an alternative gender role that is accepted in his domain.

On the contrary Peggy is able to succeed due to these same principles, by expressing male traits that build the stereotypes that the men succeed by. Due to the fact that high masculinity individuals possess higher levels of their work and career. It is easy to see why Peggy and Sal demonstrate these characteristics in order to maintain their relevance to the alpha-male’s such as Don Draper. The jewel example of exemplifying a gender role. Another reason that Sal is discouraged from revealing his true sexual identity.

Which leads to the next topic of discussion, sexism, in the workplace and in the home, the two major settings in this show. If theres one thing this show does well its degrade women. In this show women are objectified, dismissed, harassed, abused and oppressed. Author Penny Dick recognizes sesim as, “ a system of oppression based on gender differences that involves cultural and institutional policies and practices as well as the beliefs and actions of individuals.” (Dick, pg. 647) Many of the characters of the show are reluctant to label the behaviors they witness in the show. Much to the effect of the era they are in, and others find loopholes to get around the oppression of sexism.

Each female character chosen in this analysis has their own experiences with sexism, some more extreme than others and in Peggy’s case she is able to break the shackles of sexism that came with her job title. For the other woman in the show, the secretaries, typewriters, wives and mistresses, they remain oppressed. Another acknowledgment of Penny Dicks research shows that even in todays society that individuals shy away from claims of an act of sexism or harassment, as a victim in fear and danger that naming the behavior as seist, they will be seen as overly sensitive and improperly motivated. (Dick, 2013) In fact, in her 2013 study, Penny found that 100% percent of women had experienced sexist behavior within the timeframe of one year. Even more discouraging than that is that 87% of women experienced sexism from their employer. (Dick, 2013) Statistically the portrayal of Mad Men isn't far off even with the changes that have taken place since that era. Now that we have established the president for sexism its time to provide evidence from the show that the characters have faced.

Peggy Olsen, the resilient, young naive woman dared to defy the laws of sexism. Upon her arrival to the agency she refused to be oppressed by the sexist stigma. Excetives slapping asses, objetivifying woman and crudely speaking their minds. Peggy separated herself from these victims and rose in ranks to become a marketing executive. A combination of creativity, attitude and perseverance. Some qualities not known to be held by a woman. Peggy discovered the fine line in the highly sexist environment and slid under the radar into her position. Its ironic that some of those qualities were only known to man before her arrival. It is no surprise that these characteristics, usually held by men are what got her the job. As one author explains, woman must exhibit masculine qualities in order to get hired. (Embrick, 2011)

In this environment specifically there was 100% job discrimination against women and somehow she is push past that. Although there are plenty of examples in her rise above sexism it wasn't an easy or just experience to get to where she was. Before Peggy realized the reality of her oppression and chance to rise above it, she too began as an underprivileged victim. Under the pressure of a male executive she was harassed into having an affair. Against her will she was victimized and it resulted in a pregnancy. Peggy realized that the constraints of having a child would ruin her status that she was building and end her career. Peggy is forced to conceal her pregnancy to avoid sexist discrimination and is instead bombarded with comments of her weight and image all while she was carrying a child in secret. Somehow she is able to hide the pregnancy from her co-workers, employers and father of the child and pawn off the baby to her mother. This sacrifice that she had to make was immensely  painful physically and mentally all due to the sexist stigma bearing down on her.

Among the other female characters their barriers are not far fetched from what Peggy Olsen went through but not nearly as rewarding. Joan for example, finds success through the blinds of sexism through manipulating the boundaries to her advantage. Not the most ethical path but a route justifiable by her escape from the clutches of the agencies stigma. Like many others, Joan started off as a secretary assistant and typewriter but realized that she could use her victimization to her advantage.

In Mad Men woman in the office place and especially secretaries are objectified and treated like toys to the men in the office. Joan uses this to her advantage, using her “assets” to sleep with the men for her financial stability and job security. Although this brings up a common stereotype of office “slut” her decision brings her far greater benefits than continuing to be a victim. She uses this method to avoid the oppression and maintain a security level above the other woman although they all have the same job title.  

In a study Susan H. Berg explains that females live in an environment that distorts women's personalities, limits potential and threats physical and psychological well being. (Berg, 2006) In both characters cases this holds true. Even more so for Joan who is eventually raped by her spouse, it seems her strategy backfired and she seemingly ended up a victim to the game she played for so long. Bergs explanation of environment for females is even more relevant in the role of Betty Draper. The spouse of Don Draper. The next example provides a segway into a further discussion of gender bias, sexism and male masculinity.

In the era that Mad Men is set in gender roles and the expectations of relationships are black and white. The ideology of marriage and expectations of family is deep in the cultural values. The man would go to work and the woman would stay at home looking after the children. What this turns into, is men drinking in the city and having affairs, absent of their family and on no authority to inform anyone of this, especially not their spouse. We see this silence and one sided state of marriage very clearly in the show. The role of the woman as housewife couldn't be clearer. As the show goes on and Don’s transparency fades further and further away, Betty is placed in a position to defy her roll and improve the situation for herself and her family. What she uncovers is betrayal, dishonesty and abuse. Betty is forced to realise the predictions and expectations of her fairytale marriage that was promised will be torn apart. Author Bettina J. Casad studies the expectations of marriage and the false sense of ideas and ceremonies that we are so conditioned to believe. Years ago in that generation keeping your marriage together was as easy as saying “I do” each partner in the relationship didn't know better than to question the foundation of marriage due the the frame work we are taught and expected to believe. (Casad, 2014) In the end she divorces Don and moves away with her child, betty is courageous for standing up for the integrity of herself and her family. Betty’s actions are another example of breaking the gender role and overcoming a sexist environment.

Along with Betty Draper, we see the other men and women of the show breaking the molds of these relationship expectations and gender roles. As mentioned before Sal the art director is gay. He is forced to hide his true sexual identity but isn't afraid to express his sexuality with like minded men. Betty, boldly chooses to hide her pregnancy and give her child way without having a father and Michael is shown have a black girlfriend, a very unusual relationship given the time period and another great example of uprooting the relationship stereotypes.

Although this show is highly regarded for its roles of gender and in nature, its doesn't come without critics. Recently the shows inclusion, or lack there of race has been at the helm of the negativity towards the show. The scrutiny comes from the shows representation of a particularly white New York. In 2012 The Root introduced the Mad Men Black-people Counter to keep track of the limited representations of black people on the show.(Burton, 2012) This lack of race in this show is perhaps only missing due to the focus of gender that the show has, and unfortunate accuracy of corporate business in the 1960’s. Another position of criticism comes from Forbes, creating what they are calling The Mad Men Effect. The site calls upon the sexist nature of the show. On one hand there are female writers involved with the show and in the workplace, and there is talk of contraception. On the other hand they argue that most of the woman are secretaires that sleep with their boss. Regardless of what you think, the reality is that everyone loves it, “Are we so bewitched by the clothing, flagrant indoor smoking and brown-boozed cocktails that we overlook politics and behavior that we would in no way tolerate in contemporary programming or—god forbid—our own homes and offices?”(Casserly, 2012) That is the effect.

In the end, the purpose of the analysis is to interpret the roles of gender bias that society is exposed to. In our culture TV plays a huge role in establishing our outlook on class, gender, ethics and many more mass media factors. Mad Men provides a perfect example of how gender is presented to us in the media. Although the show represents woman negatively and is considered sexist and blind to color by some critics, it turns out that half of the writing staff has been female. One Mad Men fan who happens to have her Masters in Women's Studies encourages us to view it as  a way of setting us up to revisit a moment when women were starting to remake the world, and to take on the knotty questions of where the fight for women’s equality got derailed. (Casserly, 2012) Since the ethics of this situation gave changed so much since the setting of this show, people can recognize that this behavior no longer controls reality. It offers a perspective into the roles of characters who have been through so much of what we classify in gender bias. These are the examples we can look to as if they have created history for us to look back at.

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Aren’t We All A Little Mad

Consuming media content allows us to be part of an alternative experience. We can immediately place ourselves in a different environment and experience different places, stories, events, characters and sounds. Although this is not taking place in real life, we slip into an alternative reality through TV programs and other forms of mass communication. TV is an especially unique example, humans are prone to stories, the characters, dialogue, relationships are at the core of humanity. It is not taking place in our present lives or even decade but the bond and relationship that is formed with the material is inevitable.This aspect enables us to adopt the perspectives of these stories and effect is far beyond entertainment. In building and apply the foundation of a theory it is important to understand past examples of media engagement. Using AMC’s Mad Men as an example, identifying participatory culture, breaking down gender roles stereotypes and now defining the relationship between the TV program and audience relationships. AMC’s Mad Men delivers in depth characters and drama to its audience. The theory of character identification allows the shows audience to take on the characters perspective and identify with their emotions and drama in the show.

Taking on a character's identity enables people to see the world through their eyes, feel what they are feeling and adopt the goals or role of their character in the show. This is the great thing about TV, we can pick and choose characters to root for or against. With a show like Mad Men, there is a variety of protagonists, antagonists, men and women to identify with. Each character has their own drama and personality traits that allow the audience to choose which character plot resonates the strongest with them. There are many examples of plot twists that jar at both the character in the show and the relationship that the audience has attached to them. As past research suggests these relationships can turn into a culture around the show: participatory culture. This enables the audience to build on the show beyond what is delivered to us through the media. As the research progressed the foundation of characters and stereotypes is broken down. These aspect leads to the theory that cradles the entire topic. This theory of character identification bonds the foundation of what creates the relationship between the media and the viewer.

To understand  this theory, it can best be defined by taking on a character’s identity and vicariously experiencing emotions or events  from within that identity. This identification promotes viewers to adopt the perspective of the characters. This first aspect of this theory comes with engagement. As the viewers continues to grow into the show they begin to engage with the characters identify, their role, goals and personality in the show. They become in engaged with events, sights and aspects of the character in relation to the show. Becoming engaged is the hook in the relationship that builds into the next step of the relationship. When this attachment of engagement is formed the character begins to resonate with the emotion and values of the character, and share the similar goals. (Cohen, 2012) To sum it up broadley, they are invested in that character and their goals in the show, protagonist or antagonist, this relationship has total freedom for the viewer to choose a side and identify with the character. This aspect is what separates this theory from others, it is not a form of worship or fandom such as other theories suggest. This identification is more of an investment than worship. Which leads to the next aspect of character identification, emotion.

Any  TV viewer could tell you who their favorite characters are and the emotions that they evoke as the show unfolds. This theory creates a strong relationship with the mass media that we are all susceptible to. Without character identification the experience would be drastically different. With no investment to the shows that we watch, there would be not emotion or interest. Therefor no desire to be involved with the media. A theory like character identifications is why we watch TV and what makes it so entertainin

As the viewers invest in the goals of the characters they become entwined with the emotions of the characters. This is the essence of the identification. This bond of emotion is the bridge between simply watching the show and having an invested relationship with the characters in the show. As the show unfolds with the characters involvement the emotions they experience are bound to the viewer. Since they have identified with that character they too experience the events,emotions and perspectives of the show. When this relationship is formed it can greatly improve the viewing experience. Although emotion can come in a variety of types, sadness, happiness or anger, it heightens the viewing experience. When people say they have a favorite show it is because they share the emotions of the show. This creates a much more entertaining experience, the emotions are involved and there is an investment in the outcome of the characters actions.

To review the theory; the major areas that build this relationship under the umbrella of character identification are, engagement, emotion and experience. This theory can apply to any form of mass media communications that has characters. This relationship can gain viewers and draw an audience to a show. For example, a case study was completed on a program that was created to spread a message to an audience by using character identification. The characters of the show were designed to resonate with a specific target audience so that the message could be spread to an accurate audience. The idea behind the show was to spread health awareness about the HPV virus. These characters were created to engage an audience that is most prone to the virus. The goal was to spread information about the virus and how to prevent and treat it. Using character identification, the characters of the show grew an accurate following. As the viewers became attached to the characters and identified with their emotions, they were invested in the show. Through this theory they became emotionally invested in the experience and emotions of the characters. (Frank, Murphy, Chatterjee, Moran, Baezconde-Garbanati, 2015) The show was able to spread their message by using the relationship that it built with its viewers. Although this theory does not need to be used for a purpose this is an example of the effect that it can have.  To adapt personalities and take  on the emotions and experiences of another character is an intense and highly involved form of entertainment. As the case study proves,  character identification can greatly impact a viewers life, in this effect the message that was received from building this relationship and broaden the viewers knowledge of HPV virus. (Frank et al., 2015)

Another great example of this comes from a similar study about FOX’s show Glee. The reason that this show has such a powerful following is because of the character identification. As the show related to the LGBT community, the characters of the show portray significantly different character identities than other shows. This allows people to identify with this community and adopt an alternative personality that represents a different sexual orientation, gender role or sexual preference. The views of this show can support an alternative perspective completely. This is an extreme example that fits perfectly with the theory. In the case study, the findings display the interpretations of personalities before and after the character identification. What the participants are able to deploy during this transfixed character identification allows them to live in the perspectives of the characters show. Since many of the characters are gay or lesbian the character identification puts them in the perspective of those characters identity. This allows them to expand their opinion of the LGBT community and be open to the messages of the show. (Marwick, Gray, Ananny, 2014). This example shows the effect of character identification and the influence that it has on viewers.

In the context of AMC’s Mad Men there are many areas where viewers can develop a strong sense of identity. As its relates to a former report on stereotypes with Mad Men (Essay 2) there are many examples of gender roles and stereotypes that the audience can identify with. In the example of Peggy, her character is developed as a strong ambitious woman fighting the obstacles of her gender roles and the boundaries that come with it. This persona and character identify are the grounds in which an audience can apply this theory. The audience would be engaged with her struggle to make it past her boundaries and the emotion put down of her stereotype. As a viewer becomes engaged they begin to root for her character to overcome her struggles and thrive at her job despite being the only woman in the department. Another example comes from Don Draper, the token business man and although somewhat of an antagonist, his position of work and family creates the  means for a strong relationship to be formed based around this theory. Since he is the focal point of the show, viewers become attached to his decisions throughout the show and feel the emotions of the fallout that comes with them. This show also presents an interesting example of identification because it takes place in a different era. This allows the relationship to live in an alternative environment in the past and the culture that comes with that era. The language, style and ethics of a different era can all be taken on and experienced through this theory.

Although this has not been proven, the effect of character identification and how it translates in the reality of the real world rather than the media is that it has the ability to create trends. As we see on TV, specifically Mad Men there is a lot of drinking takes place. In much of the media, drinking is an outlet for stress and celebration. Seeing this and relating to the scenario of drinking on TV leads viewers to have similar feelings and indulgences. Many shows, especially Mad Men personify the characters frequently drinking at work. Although this was common in that era it turns out that the trend is coming back around. (Nowinski, 2012) It can't be a coincidence that this trend is taking place again in the same industry.

The effects of media and engaging in the experiences of TV characters can easily be brought back into the real world. In Mad Men the characters often cope with their work problems by drinking, the stress and high pressure of their job leads them to indulge with a drink to ease their mood. For a viewer to identify with this they could easily translate this shared emotion into their real lives. An example like this is the essence of what this theory is all about. To identify so deeply with the emotions of character in a show that it translates into real life is major media effects factor.

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Dont Drink The Drama

Choosing to analyze Mad Men throughout the semester has uncovered many other dimensions to interpret within the context of the show.  Understanding what we are exposed to is valuable perspective that often goes over looked. Being able to have a transparent view of the themes and theories within the show proves useful to analyze the effects of TV shows. Theories of participatory culture, character identification and dissecting gender roles have broadened the understanding and outlined a process that takes place when TV is sensationalized. Shows today with the engagement of media and viewers expand the show much further than just the screen.  

A high impact TV drama can really connect you with the plot. Getting caught up in the plot pulls at the strings of emotion and tempts the imagination. The effects that become actions is something to be understand about how we watch TV. As recognized in character identification, the echoes of the show are scattered amongst the internet and popular hubs for pop-culture. Paying attention to the environment of a show and the actions of favored characters must be considered. Viewing such dramatic and entertaining TV can effect your behavior, choose your characters carefully.