Mad Men Gender Analysis

The Reversal of the Gaze: The Disruption of Power Dynamics through the Male Gaze in Mad Men

In Mad Men, the world of the office operates in the context of the male gaze in the sense that the rules established for the performances and behaviors of men and women are gendered male. As a result of these rules, women are expected to display themselves for the pleasure of men and act in a submissive role whereas men are supposed to offer women some sort of sexualized attention and take on the role of the dominant observer. Joan Holloway and Peggy Olsen complicate the traditional role of a female by not acting in accordance with the expectations set out for them based off of their gender. Joan is the office manager who constantly attracts the attention

Furthermore, according to Mulvey, when women are displayed on screen, they possess a quality called “to-be-looked-at-ness,” which means that a woman’s appearance on screen is constructed to be put on “visual display” and she is expected to“exhibit herself to our gaze.” Ultimately, Mulvey’s concept of the male gaze can be summarized as the idea that women are always viewed through the eyes of men, who act as dominant observers. The male gaze is seemingly perpetuated to the tee in Mad Men through numerous devices such as imagery, film techniques and dialogue, however on closer inspection the certainty of this notion becomes less clear as the characters don’t act in exact accordance with the principles of the

In “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” as Joan finishes offering advice to Peggy about the office, she suggests that Peggy “go home, take a paper bag and cut some eyeholes out of it. Put it over your head, get undressed and look at yourself in the mirror. Really evaluate where your strengths and weaknesses are, and be honest.”Joan’s monologue highlights how even though the male gaze is gendered male, it doesn’t necessarily mean it is a man who is performing the operation of the gaze. Joan organizes the world according to how males see it and evaluates other women as well as herself in terms that are gendered male. It is important to note that this is not the only time Joan comments on Peggy’s appearance. In “Maidenform” Peggy complains to Joan that she’s not being invited out with the team for social gatherings and Joan tells Peggy “You want to be taken seriously? Stop dressing like a little girl.”These statements from Joan reinforce the idea that women are valued based off of their physical appearances and Joan takes advantage of this idea by dressing and acting in a sexualized manner, effectively gaining her power over men. Although Joan’s comments towards Peggy may be perceived as harsh, she’s trying to help Peggy by sharing the strategy she used to elevate her status in the