Sure, blatant sexism is a huge part of Mad Men, but it's also an accurate reflection of '60s corporate culture, right? I'm not convinced by all the bloggers out there who are saying that the show is validating stereotypes and glorifying sexism. Don't we need to be reminded of our past mistakes so we can see how far we've come and evolve even further from where we once were?

ridiculous notion. It's holding a mirror, reflecting the times, and quite accurately

Mad Men shows how it was, just like it shows how everyone had a bar in their offices, and kids could run around with bags over their head. It's ridiculous to say it's perpetuating sexism. Are they pro smoking and sleeping w/ secretaries too? The world has changed. This is a great show about the PAST

It's a perfect example of why womens rights were so important. Sad glimpse of how the past was, and a great reminder as to how far we've come.

The show absolutely rocks, sexism and all.  It's brilliant.

If Mad Men perpetuates sexism, then we probably shouldn't read T.S. Eliot, Salinger, F. Scott Fitzgerald etc.

Ridiculous topic to debat about.

Mad Men perpetuates sexism because the show embodies a time period where sexism was not only the norm, it was encouraged. Do I feel that the show gives hint to men now that they need to keep control of their wives and girlfriends? No. If a man were to take the show that way, then he was already embodied sexism and just needed an excuse for himself to be sexist. As a woman, I watch the show and I love it. It's true to the fact that the fifties were like that for women.

I think the show, if you actually watch it, illustrates the sexism that actually existed as an artifact of a time and place where women were undervalued. YET, you see strong and intereresting characters like Joan and Peggy and conflicted characters like Betty who suffer from the lowered expectations on their abilities even as they shine in their own briliance. I also think that the Draper's daughter shows the signs of the seeds of rebellion in her - she'll be a flower child one day.

I think if they glossed over how women were treated in 1963 we wouldn't appreciate how much the world has changed or recognized there is still room for improvement. This show is ALL about its characters and their releationships with eachother and the world they occupy. It's about the assumptions people make and where that leads them. It's a show that makes you think, and THAT is an extraordinarily rare thing.

Mad Men must also then be promoting drinking on the job, and smoking in the workplace! It's a true reflection of the times that it is set in.