Masculinity and Mad Men

Group Attendance: Charlie DeWitt, Marshall Kerns, Lauren Solomon, Candace Barbour, Catherine Muller, Clay Prietsch
Episode Watched: Season 1, Episode 11: "Indian Summer"

Meeting Date: 11/17/2010

Masculinity and Mad Men
By Charlie DeWitt

This particular episode of Mad Men dealt with a number of issues regarding the overwhelming assertion of masculinity that occurs throughout the series. As a result of featuring this degree masculinity, this episode also depicts the oppression of females as a prominent theme. This post will talk about some of the instances from this specific episode in order to identify this issue and provide a critical perspective.

One specific instance that sparked my interest occurred when the male characters who work at Sterling Cooper were all sitting around in Don Draper's office discussing a new product they needed to test out that was an electric muscle stimulant. The actual product itself, which consisted of a belt that fit around the torso and sent shock waves to the muscles in order to supposedly simulate exercise, appeared both awkward and foreign to all of them. After having some confusion as to what to do, they immediately assume that they will use Peggy to test the product. The fact that they chose an inferior feminine employee to test the product reflects not only an affirmation of masculinity, but also an oppression of femininity. This kind of action on behalf of the male characters is quite typical, as we often see them all banded together, often in closed door settings, asserting their own masculinity.

Another example of masculinity from this episode that presents a hegemonic view of traditional gender roles occurs when Don becomes upset at Betty for having an air conditioner salesman into the house. Don raises his voice to Betty and thus communicates his role as the dominant male figure in the household. This kind of behavior from Don allows for the audience to see that not only does he do as he pleases on is own time (i.e. sleep with other women), but he strongly condemns the possibility of Betty socializig with other men at all. This situation reminded me of a previous moment in the season when Roger Sterling came over for dinner and made several comments at the dinner table that upset Don. Thus, as can be seen on multiple occasions, Don reaffirms traditional masculinity within the household.

The specific instances that reflect masculinity in the show reminded me of some of the points that were made in Simon Lindgren and Maxime Lelievre's article about masculinity in the MTV show jackass. In particular, one quote from their conclusion helps to summarize a way of thinking about and interpreting the kinds of masculine tendencies displayed on Mad Men. "Instead of seeing the simultaneous occurrence of reaffirmation and contestation as perplexing, we maintain that it must rather be construed in dialectical terms. Instead of focusing on the 'thesis' of hegemonic masculinity versus the 'anti-thesis' of its subversion we want to focus upon the 'synthesis' of renegotiation" (Lindgren and Lelievre 407).

This quote makes sense when attempting to try to interpret the masculinity that exists on Mad Men. Although we as critics are tempted to view these forms of masculinity and subsequent female oppression for what they are, we need to try to think more so about what their repercussions are. In many ways, the masculine domination on Mad Men serves as a way of providing a historical insight with regards to societal views on gender at that specific time period. As a result of watching the show, someone who does not know much about early 60's America would immediately associate it with the actions displayed on the show. Likewise, the interaction of both the male and female characters, particularly in a corporate setting, seems to suggest that gender roles played a crucial role in office behavior during that time period. Likewise, behavior within the household, as can be seen through the relationship between Don and Betty, was heavily influenced by masculine dominance.