Would The Women of “Mad Men” Have Blogged About All The Crap They Were Taking?

Four years ago I worked at an ad agency where I met a female art director who once told me that she didn’t watch “Mad Men” because she failed to experience the “ironic distance” from that time period.

After working at five agencies, I’ve met only one or two female copywriters, about four female art directors and one female creative director (this same friend). According to one article,  women make up %3 of advertising creative directors.   In my experience, with some rare exception, women still fall under the two archetypes made famous by Mad Men: 1)  Joan –  hot woman who does all the shit work (which in her case includes sleeping with clients) and 2)  Peggy – plain Jane with intense work ethic and great ideas who’s routinely dismissed (I know that Elizabeth Moss is really beautiful, but this is the world of the show).  I’ve met some Advanced Joans and hybrid Peggy/Joans, but essentially when you work for the people who make Beer Commercials and the Happy Soccer Mom you aren’t entering into a Progressive enclave of feminism.

I worked as a “Digital Producer” which sounds fancy but is really an Advanced Joan position, a glorified secretary who can only give the kind creative input that comes after hours of talking to programmers about technical glitches over containers of orange chicken in a metaphoric trench that few Creative Director want to hang out in.

My favorite line from the entire series is said by Bobbie Barret, Don’s colleague and lover, who advises Peggy, “Nobody will tell you this, but you can’t be a man. So don’t even try.”   Peggy’s all “Oh, but I’m smart and do good work….” and Bobbie is shaking her head like, “Oh, to be that young.”   Peggy, protected by her youth, drive and ambition, has yet to truly hit her head on any ceilings or brick walls.   Bobbie lives in reality and functions with the stoic air of someone who works the system.

I’ve worked at many agencies, some artsy, some diverse, but ALL predominately male in the creative department.  The agency where I met my friend – who has gone on to become a bad ass CD –  had a strong USC fraternity house ethos, the kind where the rapes happen. White Guys throwing football and playing video games, and cute girls running around doing the busy boring work.  One day I walked into a room and felt a particular brand of eye-ball rolling and condescension.   On that day it put me over the edge.  I felt like Peggy when the Heinz Beans account asks her to leave the meeting.  Peggy complained to Don, but having no male mentor I did what I had to do: I blogged about it.

I know…I KNOW! WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING? (I know).

I don’t do office politics.  I don’t really do politics, period. I just either stay quiet or say what I feel like a five-year-old. Follow the drug consumption exactly as prescribed to prevent the development of prostate cancer, this reduces the need for surgery and the risk to erectile function. sildenafil mastercard Department of State, Bureau of African Affairs A forum called “Calling on the Kenyan Diaspora: Kenya Decision 2013- What Have You Done for Kenya’s Tomorrow Today Campaign” was sponsored by The Africa Society of the National Summit on Africa. browse around over here now buying viagra uk The herbs http://appalachianmagazine.com/2017/01/27/the-story-behind-this-famous-guardian-angel-painting/ viagra uk assistance to delay the ejaculation as well as sperm count. The next task is tadalafil tabs to follow the doctor’s orders. Or, rather, blog about.  I’m not saying this approach works. It hasn’t landed me any vice-presidencies or big jobs, but it’s also hasn’t landed me a lot of creepy friends or relationships.  Often when I do speak up, I do in only blog. AFTER ALL, WHO READS MY BLOG? IT’S ONLY ON THE INTERNET.  I have yet to read a study on the psychology of those addicted to the Twaceblog-osphere, but I suspect we have some brain synapse that stops working when we hit publish, tweet, post, send.  I’m usually very careful about names and situations, but for some reason, during this time, I forgot.

The worst thing I wrote about involved the creative direction of one creative who recommended that we “make it really cool looking.” IS THAT SO BAD?

One day my boss came over and sat down next to me.

“Everyone knows about the blog…” she said with a calm smile.

Mortified. [BLUSH]. How did they find it?  WHO TOLD THEM? I just assumed that my blog was tucked under the obituaries of the Internet. Nobody noticed it.

I got ready to pack up.

“All I ask is that you take it down.”

A light, playful slap on the hand.  She thought it was funny.  SHE LIKED IT.  I never got fired.

Would Peggy and Joan have blogged, status-ed and tweeted about their frustrations?

Just for today, I am a wise blogger.