Mad Men - a series defined by its women characters
As the popular TV series ends, Meredith Blake looks at the female characters who exemplify the era before women's lib
Mad Men is the story of 1960s advertising genius Don Draper, but it is also a series defined and distinguished by its women.
The landmark TV programme from the AMC channel, whose final episodes began airing last Sunday, illuminates a decade of remarkable social and political change through its inscrutable, hard-drinking protagonist. Since its 2007 premiere, the show has had a cultural impact that belies its relatively modest audience. It has inspired countless think pieces, an industry-wide boom in scripted drama, and a far-reaching craze for cocktails and mid-century design.
But an equally rich part of its legacy is its ensemble of female characters: Peggy Olson, the wide-eyed secretary-turned-copy chief; Joan Harris, who has risen from office manager to become an agency partner (and her bombshell looks proving both a blessing and a curse); Betty Draper Francis, a beautiful but emotionally stunted suburban housewife; and Sally Draper, who has overcome considerable familial dysfunction to blossom into a headstrong teenager.
Even the women who have played less pivotal roles in the series have left indelible impressions, such as Don's second wife, Megan, his many strong-willed paramours, and his delightfully tactless secretary, Miss Blankenship - may she rest in peace.
She was very flawed, complicated and emotionally immature, but I miss speaking for her. She made me brave
Though some have bristled at its unflinching depiction of sexism and male privilege in the era before women's liberation, it is widely considered one of the most feminist shows on television. That's hardly a coincidence, series creator Matthew Weiner said recently in New York, where Mad Men is being honoured with a number of events, including a Don Draper bench outside the Time-Life Building.
"I have a powerful mother, I have two professional older sisters, I have a professional, powerful wife, and there have always been a lot of women in authority on the show," Weiner says. "My mother was what they called a women's libber. I knew who Betty Friedan was, I knew who Gloria Steinem was, I knew who Bella Abzug was, I knew who Simone de Beauvoir was, and then intellectually in college, feminism was the most prominent idea."