Mad Men - audience responses

        'Explore the different ways in which audiences and/or users respond to your chosen texts'


Representation of gender

There is a lot of binary opposition that occurs in Mad Men, and this represents the changing in the roles of women as the era of the show enters into the 60's.
Peggy is the representation of the contemporary women, her intelligence, intellect and independence portrays her as less dependent on males and the idea that women have finally broken free of the oppression they had under males. In a review by the 'Orange Couch', when talking about Peggy moving onto her new job, it mentions "...this is the future for women, your gender is finally not the only thing you're evaluated by." This review demonstrates the idea that the gratifications that people,  most likely women, will gain from it - a sense of power and the fact that women were finally stepping up.

Furthermore, Joan represents the complete opposite to Peggy, and this is where we see binary opposition. Joan works her way up by using her sexuality as her advantage, rather than intelligence. She is meant to represent a women of the 50's, like Marilyn Monroe for example, she is an illustration of beauty, this is evident in the way she dresses and speaks, as well as her body structure.
'Mad Men wiki' explains the role of Joan and her character in the show.