Mad Men as Culture Jamming

Meeting Date: 10/3/2010

Episode 5: 5G

Attendance: Candace, Catherine, Charlie, Clay, Lauran, Marshall, Tim

Culture jamming is a way of resisting the ideologies and practices of dominant culture. It aims to disrupt messages of ideology dominant culture sends through the media by subverting the meanings of the tools originally used by the dominant culture. This episode contains elements that suggest Mad Men is culture jamming on a larger scale.

Set in the 50s, the show chronicle’s the lives of ad men, their families, and other players in the business. The fact that it is written and produced now allowed for more reflection on the practices of the day. While not outright condemning the activities of the time, the way the show as a popular media form to give viewers a critical look at the world of advertising and past generations allows for enlightenment on particular subjects.

While mass media today is used to promote consumerism and materialism and uphold dominant ideology, Mad Men is culture jamming because it is a form of mass media that does not send those messages. Though not as blatant as Barbara Kruger’s work, Mad Men sheds light on the lives of those in advertising and the strategies they use to sell. Highlighting the jobs of ad men inside the office gives viewers a look into the world that affects them behind the scenes. It has the effect of possibly making more conscious consumers of modern advertising and texts out of the audience.

Through the personal lives of the characters, the show comments on the ideas and practices of that time period, many of which still exist today. Again, using mass media, the show gives a view of women smoking and drinking while pregnant, racist and sexist attitudes, and other things that have changed for the most part in society today. While the show itself does not explicitly do so in a negative light, the frequency of the practices in light of modern knowledge causes the viewers to be critical of the practices and reflect on how they were common and supported back then. Viewers see women smoking and drinking while pregnant and are in awe. They hear racist and sexist remarks, and the lack of political correctness of it strikes them and reaffirms current egalitarian feelings toward race and sex. The frequency of drinking and smoking in the show serves not to popularize it or to glorify the time period, but instead to cause viewers to have a critical view of the practices. The inclusion of these activities and attitudes makes the reader reflect on modern society and the ideas, attitudes and practices today that might in later years be viewed in the same light.

While Mad Men is wonderfully entertaining, it uses popular media and the television drama form to make statements through the portrayal of its characters. It is critical of the materialistic and lavish lives of the characters. This is in contrast with the usual uses of mass media to promote this consumerism and materialism.

Betty, Peggy, and the Post- : Women in Mad Men

Meeting date: 9/19

Attendance: Clay, Marshall, Charlie, Candace, Lauren, Tim, Catherine

Episode 2: Ladies' Room

In Mad Men’s second episode, entitled “Ladies’ Room,” the show’s creator and lead writer Matthew Weiner begins to address a mere reality of the 1960s which has evolved into a throbbing social issue today: sexism and the objectification of women. The episode explores these questions through portrayals of sexual harassment in the workplace and displays of an ideological belief in the inherent inferiority of women in both the workplace and the household. By thematically endowing the episode (telegraphed by the title) with the gender issue, Weiner touches upon chords of the post-feminist discourse being explored in mass media and cultural studies. In the “Tyra Banks Is Fat” reading for class, Ralina Joseph has deposited arguments and propositions related to this vein of post-feminism. It is incumbent upon the scholar reading both the mass mediated text of Mad Men and critiques of texts containing similar, gender-oriented context to discover how each can inform and elucidate further truth from the other.

In “Ladies’ Room,” Weiner depicts the character of Peggy and her introduction into what the audience understands as a typically male-dominated and sexist 1960s workplace setting at Sterling Cooper. Peggy observes women crying in the bathroom, is subjected to fraternity-boy repartee at lunch, encounters and resists sexual advances by male co-workers, and, ultimately, after a moody and music-accompanied sequence of men staring at her while they pass by her desk, takes her own visit to the Ladies’ Room. At this point, Weiner guides Peggy’s character to “suck it up” rather than have an emotional breakdown. This internalization Peggy makes of the structural inequality in her workplace materializes Ralina Joseph’s “pervasive post- logic” in which subordinated groups, in the interest of progress and civility, must “move on.” However, more subtle than this is that, in lieu of the character Peggy’s actions, Weiner’s action of producing this instance in a mass mediated fiction actually represents what Joseph would term an “operative, functional post-moment.” That is to say, Weiner’s aim is to critique a rise of post-feminism he sees in workplace culture or within society at-large by aesthetically reminding his audience of the emotional pain caused to women.

Weiner constructs a more sub-textual reference to the gender code in the episode through further surveying Don and Betty’s marriage and his affair with Midge Daniels. In “Ladies’ Room,” Betty and Don’s relationship is centered on her psychological struggles and the resultant effects on the state of their marriage. Aside from nods to the taboo nature of psychiatry in early 1960s popular opinion, Betty’s surfacing insecurities and struggles allow the audience to turn a more deeply critical lens toward her relationship with Don. The introduction of the divorced character of Helen Bishop, Don’s refusal to share his past with Betty, and Betty’s reliance on Don’s wisdom regarding her need for psychiatric help all reveal Weiner's suggestion to the audience to understand the character of Betty Draper as childlike, innocent, and submissive. Simply put, Weiner posits that middle to upper-class housewives of the 1960s were yet a largely subordinated group, coddled and punished like children within the household all while being expected to act with the utmost chivalry and class without. Expected to be dependent on their husbands for everything, Betty and her neighbor friend can not comprehend the concept of divorce and live in terror of the threat of martial disharmony, something that Betty senses might be all-too-close to home. Then, for Joseph, the idea of Helen Bishop becomes a “post-moment” within the narrative of Mad Men and an operative one to remind to modern audiences that the odor of 1960s female subordination still lingers.

Joseph’s post-feminist position complements Weiner’s rendering of female subordination and objectification in Mad Men’s 1960s and both critics would argue that there exists the same ideological structure today; Joseph would go further to applaud Weiner for challenging that structure and proving those gender boundaries are more malleable today than ever. 

The Multiple Genres of Mad Men

The Multiple Genres of Mad Men

Meeting Date: 9/19/2010

Attendees: Candace, Catharine, Charlie, Clay, Lauren, Marshall, Tim

Episode 3: “Marriage of Figaro”

This episode of season 1 is an example of the way Mad Men fits into a number of genres, a topic discussed in the reading of O’Shaughnessy. Genre is used by producers to attract a certain audience to a familiar type of text, and to let the audience know what to expect. Mad Men attracts a large audience with its many appeals to different genre tastes.

Generally, Mad Men is a drama. It relies on multiple threads from previous episodes to weave a plot. The plots, especially with Mad Men, involve sex, relationships, and secrets brought about by characters’ personalities. For example, with “Marriage of Figaro,” The early awkward interaction between Petty and Pete stems from their previous sexual relations in light of Pete’s marriage. Also on the subject of sex and relationships is the plot surrounding Don Draper, whose many relationships with various women aside from his wife is yet another thread. Tension and conflict in the show also arises from the tensions among the players in the office. The power dynamics present another thread for the show. These examples also play into the show’s inclusion in the soap opera genre.

However under this over-arching categorization are multiple other genre components. Mad Men is very much in the historical fiction genre because of its setting in the 50s. It incorporates historic events of the era into the fictitious plot of the show. For example, a later episode weaves the plot of the show around the politics surrounding Nixon and Kennedy. Another instance is the effect the American Airlines crash in Jamaica in 1962 had on the Pete, as his father was a killed in it. The plot is built around numerous historical events. In addition, the attitudes toward race, class, and gender that existed during the time are also very prominent, as seen in the dynamics between women, both working and not, and men and between Whites and non-whites.

A smaller genre to be considered when speaking of Mad Men is that of the comedy. While Mad Men is not primarily a comical show, each episode does rely on characters’ one-liners and witty quips to lighten the mood and give the plots a more realistic feel. For example, this episode starts with Pete’s return from his honeymoon. In the elevator, he responds to questions about the wedding with, “The wedding went great!” A coworker jokingly replies with, “Well how about the rest of it?” Pete laughs and answers, “we are talking about my wife here!” When the women greet him more warmly than usual upon his arrival, another coworker notes “the ring! It’s like catnip!” Mad Men uses tons of little quips like this, and it adds to the shows appeal. The jokes aren’t easy to catch, but the viewer feels accomplished when he or she knows enough about the show or about the character dynamics to catch the joke.

Mad Men’s incorporation of multiple genres has served it well, as it reaches varying audiences and therefore higher success.

Meeting #1, Product Placement

Meeting Date: 9/12/2010

Group Attendance: Charlie DeWitt, Marshall Kerns, Lauren Solomon, Candace Barbour, Catherine Muller, Clay Prietsch, Tim McNulty
Episodes Watched: Season 1, Episode 1

Product Placement in Mad Men
By Charlie DeWitt

The theme of product placement can be identified at several points during this episode of Mad Men. Due to the fact that this is the first episode of the entire series, there seems to be an emphasis placed upon the usage of cigarettes. In particular, the characters themselves not only smoke cigarettes, but also work on an advertising campaign for Lucky Strike brand cigarettes. The fact that the characters both use cigarettes and help advertise them can be read as a commentary on societal views of tobacco during the late 1950s and early 1960s. At one point during the meeting to discuss Lucky Strike's ad campaign, the show even addresses rising concerns that tobacco smoke can cause severe illness. Despite these concerns, they still attempt to find an advertising campaign that will use positive imagery in order to lead consumers away from the dangers of tobacco. This helps to show the shallow nature of advertisers and large corporations when it comes to communicating their product's message to the public. The theme of manipulation with regards to advertising is prominent throughout their negotiations, which again provides the viewer with a unique insight into the mentality of advertising. In addition, the heavy reliance on tobacco products throughout the show highlights the American public's unwillingness to accept the dangers of tobacco.

Although the advertising and usage of cigarettes blends naturally with the show, Mad Men faces a number of challenges with regards to product placement. The fact that the show takes place in the early 1960s causes constraints with regards to what products can be used in order to maintain the authenticity of the show. Due to these constraints, certain companies will go to greater lengths to have their names displayed on the show. For example, this episode featured an image of an IBM typewriter due to the fact that their newer and more technologically advanced products did not exist back then. This emphasis upon displaying brand name rather than the actual product itself suggests the importance of name recognition with regards to product placement. Because Mad Men has such a large audience, companies such as IBM feel the need to get their name on the show in whatever way possible, even if it means displaying outdated products. However, other companies such as Canadian Club Whiskey, can still advertise the same product they provide today.

Along with these various instances of product placement, Mad Men includes several much more subtle examples, such as the characters' clothing and automobiles. Although the usage of clothing does not often include the actual image of brand names, there is a definite emphasis upon corporate fashion throughout the show. Due to the show's popularity, it's quite conceivable that some of the older styles of corporate fashion such as skinny ties and tighter fitting suits could become ingrained in the viewer's mind as more acceptable in modern times. Thus, although the show displays products from a different era, there is still a definite aesthetic appeal to the current viewer. This aesthetic appeal, which can be seen most directly through the seemingly accurate, vivid, and candid portrayal of American life during the early 1960s. plays directly into the dominant role of product placement throughout the show.