Mad Men- Skewed Image of Women in the Advertising Industry

Mad Men, a dramatic TV show depicting life at an advertising agency in the 1960s, took the America media by storm since its premier in 2007. The television show illustrates the patriarchal nature of an advertising agency during the period, emphasizing that the 1960's was a time period when "men were men and women were their secretaries" (Parks 22).

What Mad Men fails to portray is that even in the early 20th century, the advertising industry employed large quantities of women. Because women were often in charge of spending on goods such as clothes and household goods, advertising agencies valued female employees who could create effective advertisements (Parks 22).

While many women did work as secretaries as is depicted in Mad Men, women also worked as writers, media buyers, art directors (Parks 22).


Parks, Joy. "Mad Women." Herizons. (2009): Print.