Friday, September 27, 2013
MAD MEN: How TV changed America
Among other things. Mad Men demonstrates the sweeping social changes made possible by television, beginning with the post-war Fifties through the many upheavals of the Sixties and Seventies. What kinds of social conditions portrayed in the show might have been influenced by the growing popularity of television, and why? (Other topics and comments welcome)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
One example of a social condition influenced by the growing popularity of television was the concept of the nuclear family that had been so heavily shown as the ideal example of what the common American family in the 1950s should be. Within the episode we watched in class, Betty was unsatisfied with her housewife role and wanted to become a model again. With Don as the provider and Betty as the nurturer, they were the perfect example of the nuclear family. When Betty goes to do modeling for CocaCola, her photoshoot demonstrates just exactly what the media is showing the public as the epitome of what an American family should be. Betty is essentially modeling what her life already is: being the caregiver to her family. She is shown in the photographs as presenting the drink to her husband with a smile while her children look on. Toward the end of the episode when she is shooting pigeons with a cigarette in her mouth, to me this exemplifies her desire to escape that role as the common housewife because of how masculine she looks in those last few shots.
ReplyDeleteAdvertising in television was also quite popular, particularly in regards to cigarettes. Advertising for cigarettes infiltrated many of television's most popular programs and so we are shown what life was like in Mad Men - literally full of smoke (and alcohol). The episode we were shown in class shows many of the men drinking and smoking at the office as if it is a natural occurrence. Smoking in particular was mainstream. Even in the first episode of Mad Men, the health risks with smoking are addressed as the prime reason why people are beginning to discontinue the smoking habit. But this does not stop Don Draper from creating a new slogan for the cigarette company to use to its advantage.
Essentially, what is shown as being popular and as the ideal of what an American quality of life should be is what the public will follow. Television influences society and this is shown especially in the case of Mad Men where advertising in media (including television) is the central focus of the show. People wanted to see the nuclear family and smoking advertisements on television because during the 1950s, a post-war economic boom was taking place. The Cold War also had an effect on American society and there was a lot of conservatism in the media and in society because of the fear of communism. This conservatism is reflected by the programs and advertisements shown in the media and on television. People on television were pictured as happy and enjoying life with minimal problems, symbolizing the life that real American families desired.
I think Vic really nailed it here with the portrayal of Don's wife Betty. I believe that the television of the time would be very responsible for enforcing the image and idea of the perfect family with the obedient housewife at the forefront. While this may have re-enforced this role for many young women it would also lead many others away as they do not want to be contained by the stereotype. Not only this but it presents challenges for those trying to break out of the caste. The media of this time would not be portraying women in these other outside of family roles and it proved to be a difficult time for women to show their skills and potential. This is also shown in the character of Peggy who is the one woman not being held back by her gender. Although it causes turmoil in the office she makes her way to a writing position (which no other woman in the office holds) and stays away from the taunting of the male staff.
DeleteVic also makes a good point with the how the style of advertisements portray the "American Dream" of the time. In Betty's photo shoot she plays that ideal wife in a surreal and picturesque fallacy of the perfect family. Most ads of the time played on this same idea of care free living and constant harmony with life and products.
I've only ever watched Mad Men once in a screenwriting class at my previous college a few years ago. I was blown away by the wife and her character. I found it disgusting how the husband reacted to her getting a job. What a jerk! He was so insincere about his happiness for her new modeling job. If my husband ever reacted how he did, I wouldn't be very happy. Maybe I took this the wrong way, but considering the time period the show was portraying, I think it was pretty messed up. She was a housewife who was clearly unhappy with her mundane role and this was shown in the ending scene. The shooting the gun represents women's rights and "girl power" and that females can be a frontliner as opposed to the man being the "man of the house." I never found myself as a feminist, but while watching this episode, clearly, I was reacting as such. I didn't like the sexist aspects of this episode, even between the modeling agency guy and Betty. I admired Betty for getting a job while maintaining a housewife position and a being a great mother, then all the sudden, she changed her mind when she thought she wasn't being a good enough wife by not having a proper dinner. The husband should cook his own dinner! His reaction to this was also quite insincere and sad. The fact that Betty thought she needed to have a proper dinner (what is a proper dinner anyway?) on the table to be a good wife is disgusting. This is why I was so pleased about the ending scene because it was almost her way of fighting back and showing that she can fulfill a "man's role" of shooting a gun. Overall, I liked Mad Men a lot more than I expected to and I will be checking out more of the series.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed our lecture/discussion about AMC having this brilliant shows that made it big like Mad Men, The Walking Dead, and Breaking Bad (which I just jumped on this bandwagon) I think it's great that this channel shifted gears and started creating original content and it totally working.
I have surprisingly never actually seen an episode of Mad Men (though I keep telling myself that I should probably watch both that and Breaking Bad), so I was pleasantly surprised to watch the episode in class. I think it's interesting how AMC decided to set the piece in the past as opposed to in modern society and that shift in era is definitely evident in the show. One of the first things I noticed was the strong use of the nuclear family. We've been talking about this concept a lot in my History of American Television class and how television shows during that era were very set on this notion. There was always a father, a mother, a daughter, a son, and typically a dog. The mother's job was also typically just that -- being a mother.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting that in this particular episode the wife decides she wants to go out and get a job of her own, regardless of what that may be. It seems to be breaking the typical stereotypes of that decade. That being said, I definitely feel that the fact that she wanted to model and act of all things was definitely influenced by television at the time. Television was just starting to break through during this time, so the thought of actually being in a commercial could have been amazing. I know it's still something people think about today with everyone trying to get their fifteen minutes of fame in.
Changing gears a bit... When it comes to the topic of AMC as a whole and their decision to end Mad Men and Breaking Bad, I think it's actually a really smart idea. Although I don't watch these shows, when COO of AMC Ed Carroll gave his presentation a few weeks ago, I was a bit shocked that he said they were choosing to end these shows in their prime. I got to thinking, though, and it's definitely a smart move on their part. So many shows these days keep making seasons because they still have an audience and are seen as being popular. But as they keep drilling out these seasons, the content becomes more played-out and dry. The shows tend to fizzle out and lose viewership simply because the content just isn't as good as it used to be. By ending two of their biggest hits in their prime, they're making sure they end on a solid note.
Mad Men is about money, power, sex, and oh so sweet seduction. It's foul, really. While watching I choke from the smoke-layered rooms but it just makes me want a cigarette! Secretaries serving both as mother and maid -- treated both as child, and objects to be appropriated for sexual pleasure – sickening! But it looks so good!
ReplyDeletePerhaps this is the point Mad Men delivers, not unlike the interview with the Marshall McLuhan in Playboy: television culture delivers a false sense of comfort – pulling the wool over its viewers eyes, and convincing us we want what we don’t.
I keep looping on this idea of denial, but the last paragraph of Vic’s post ties it all together quite well in describing the many elements delivered through ideology of nuclear family.
But what television also delivered, was exposure to injustice – like Murrow’s response to the McCarthy trials. Fastfoward to 2013 and social media delivers the same in the case of government massacre of protestors in Turkey.
I don’t know. TV is numbing, seductive, and distracting. It’s also an incredible tool and as my Nonverbal Communications class pointed out, an aid in decoding, and adjusting. As Ani DiFranco says, “Every tool is a weapon if you hold it right.”
This was actually only my second time watching Mad Men. I watched the pilot episode in my Writing For Digital Media class about a year ago. All I recall from that episode was Don being extremely rude to Peggy and clearly just seeing her as an object. As I watched now the ninth episode, not much has changed when it comes to how men view woman but it is obvious that Don respects Peggy a lot more than he did compared to the first episode. It was interesting also reading my classmates posts about this episode as well. After reading Sam Noldy’s post, I had a different view on how Don acted when it came to Betty wanting to be a model. Despite the fact that she was basically only asked to model so that Don would also work for the company, it was clear the Don truly loves Betty and wanted her to be happy. Yes, there was much hesitation in his voice but in my opinion I felt as though he was still trying to be a supportive husband. It was sad to see how disappointed she was after her modeling gig was up because despite the fact that she said she was happy to be back at home with the kids, she definitely enjoyed living the model lifestyle again. It was interesting for me to read Vic’s post as well because when I was watching the scene where Betty was modeling for Coca Cola, it did not even occur to me that this was how the American family was supposed to be portrayed during this era. Now thinking about it, that is absolutely why the pictures were of the traditional family with one son and one daughter. Even in today’s society, we often see advertisements of the “perfect smile” or the “perfect family” just to make the consumer feel though if they buy the product, they too can be as happy as the models in the picture. I guess aspects in today’s advertisement truly have not changed compared to the 1950s.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Kaitlyn’s post, I enjoyed that she spoke about when the COO of AMC, Ed Carroll, came to New Paltz and gave his presentation. I too was extremely shocked when he said that AMC was choosing to end Mad Men and Breaking Bad in the prime of their existence, but it completely made sense. If you think about it, many people are not even aware that shows such as Grey’s Anatomy still have new episodes every week. Or people who were interested in Dexter apparently were extremely disappointed when the show ended because the show dragged on for too long. According to an article on The Guardian, Dexter fell apart. ( http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2013/sep/30/dexter-finale-betrayal-characters ) It was smart on AMC’s move to allow series such as Breaking Bad and Mad Men to end the series on a positive note and people wanting more, rather than people forgetting the show exists or for that matter, not enjoying the subject matter anymore.
"Mad Men" is a very interesting show because not only is it very glamorous and visually stimulating, but it also takes place in a time that is of great importance to media, advertising, and the evolution of culture. A lot of the early episodes of the series show viewers the transition from print media to television commercials. The show takes place in a time when wives were supposed to stay home and raise the kids while the men went to work and made all of the money. A major focus of the show is womanizing, which in short is men stepping outside of their marriages and basically chasing after every woman out there.
ReplyDeleteI personally think that "Mad Men" is brilliant because we are able to see how the advertising industry didn't try to just sell people a product but it convinced consumers products would give them a certain lifestyle. The main male characters are supposed to be the villains you love to hate, but deep down want to be.
I think that there are many similar ideas in this AMC original series and the ideas McLuhan discusses in his Playboy interview. It makes one wonder if any of McLuhan's ideas come into play with any of the writers.
Great show! Its amazing how much the developers of this series stayed true to the time period. You don't see that much with television today or in movies for that matter. D'jango with the hip hop music, Jamie Fox with the sharp Philadelphia fade and Chicago accent. Mad Men is authentic. I think this show depicts an era when America began to divorce itself from other western cultures and truly develop its own. Advertising is the main vehicle for cultural exports and it was at this time that America began to export its music, fashion, automobiles, and American swagger to the world. Before this time it was cool to say I got this from France or Italy. Now its the American brand that TV is displaying to the world and advertising execs like those portrayed in Mad Men were at the forefront of this movement. Like in Good Luck and Good Night........damn these people smoke a lot of cigarettes!
ReplyDelete