Mad Men by Mary OKereke

This essay will be analysing the television programme ‘Mad Men’ using feminism theories, I will also be using ‘the gaze’ of the female gender.

Feminism was founded on the beliefs of Emily Davison who felt they had equal rights to men instead of being suppressed and objectified, making a stand for she knew her rights.

The movement focused on gaining the vote for the female public through the Suffragette movements. Emily joined the social and political union founded by Emmeline Pankhurst then given three years she came up with the courage to quit her job as a full time teacher and went in full time as a full time for the suffragette movement group. In joining the group it gave Emily Davison an instant criminal record from acts of causing violent public disturbance in the community, which she attend prison ceils quite frequently.

The group used a lot of crazy tactics such as starving them selves burning things just to get attention, In 1963 Emily Davisono jump in front of the King's horse which later on caused her early death. Because of what Emily Davison had done in 1918 women who owned houses and were over 30 were allowed to vote, because of her act of movement this was also changed in 1928 to allow women over 21 to vote legally in England.

“Davison was a militant suffragette who died after throwing herself in front of the king's horse at the Epsom Derby.”

For many hundreds of years, women have strived for equality having been held back from there opportunities that would have taking them far in there career those opportunities was taken away from them because of the fact that they were women which in my understanding that’s just ridiculous.

I believe that women have every right to be equal with men, which I think feminism has accomplished this in every way.

“Feminism is a good venue for getting yourself across as much as for getting your point across.”

Elizabeth Wurtzel

Feminism has help, woman with families around the world it allow themothers, daughters, and sisters in the world to have an equal opportunities to have a say in life to achieve all there dreams on what kind of careers and businesses that they never were able to have before without any discrimination because they are females.

As humans we are equal to others around the world it really doesn’t matter if you are male or female.

“Claims the right of all people on this earth to the same matierial and cultural well being”

Because of feminism Woman now have power in government and they hold high powerful jobs. They have gained their independence, which I call it, independent women with equal power,

“Women are still marginalized and exploited in many ways around the world and feminism should address these issues aggressively. The feminist movement should advocate and work for the breaking of glass ceiling for women in the existing social, economic, religious and political structures.”

Women gained a lot of access to jobs during the world war two which at that time a lot of men didn’t approve of women working alongside with them. Even by the 60s, things seemed simpler considering women being still discriminated against to in the working environment and seen as inferior to the male employers.A  programme called 'Mad Men' screen in the states  has a lot of reasons to love this show, among which are the style and fashion of the characters the series illustrates that Today there is still inequality in the workplace with regards to salaries, status at a job and maternity leave, though of course it is illegal for employers to discriminate still. Woman are encouraged to dress and act to impress their bosses and never being promoted above receptionists and typists or even PR these can even lead to being dedicated for the company and still the women would not be promoted.

“The men wear suits, the women wear dresses, and no one is looking especially happy”

“Feminism is a program for making different beings -- men and women -- turn out alike, and ... it must do a good deal of chopping to fit the real world into its ideal.”

MICHAEL LEVIN, Feminism and Freedom

“We need a new kind of feminism, one that stresses personal responsibility and is open to art and sex in all their dark, unconsoling mysteries.”

CAMILLE PAGLIA, intro, Sex, Art, and American Culture

“The first principle of full feminism is the simple equality of men and women. And it is an erroneous principle. For here nature steps in and forbids its achievement.”

CORREA MOYLAN WALSH, Feminism

“Feminism was recognized by the average man as a conflict in which it was impossible for a man, as a chivalrous gentleman ... as a highly evolved citizen of a highly civilized community, to refuse the claim of this better half to self-determination.”

WYNDHAM LEWIS, "The Family and Feminism," The Art of Being Ruled

“As a metaphor for self-transformation . . . [‘finding a voice’] . . . has been especially relevant for groups of women who have previously never had a public voice, woman who are speaking and writing for the first time, including many women of colour”

Because of one group feminism has formed several different groups, which is known as the Feminist theories the Liberal, Marxist, Redical and post-modern feminisms.

The Liberal feminists is about justice between gender issues and identity it’s also the modern form of feminism, known for the belief that all women around the world have power to achieve anything.

“Some people believe that, no matter what your environment or behaviour, and no matter what your body looks like now, "Whichever gender the doctors said you were when you were born, that's what you'll always be". ("Biology is destiny".) Others believe, again irrespective of upbringing, that some "essence" of "masculinity" or "femininity" can occupy any kind of physical body.”

Postmodernism Feminism began somewhere in the early 1980s with the term post-feminism It rejects the idea that there is one true equal rights view of the world. The women Feminists argue that no one, including other women, may speak for all women. However they mostly argue that all women in the world should have the opportunity to become herself in every right way.

“Modern feminism worked with the existentialist view on women which establishes the argument that “one is not born a woman, but becomes one" and thus here the focus is on the social and cultural construction of women by the system.”

Article by Sanjay Nair

“According to the thinking that originates in post modern feminism "woman" is a debatable category, complicated by class, ethnicity, sexuality, and other facets of identity and therefore gender is performative based on our natural heterosexuality rather than socially or culturally constructed.”

Article by Sanjay Nair

“ feminist critics who argue that theories of both modern postmodern have been organized around masculine norm and pay insufficient attention to the specificity of women’s lives and experiences.”

Rita felski

Radical feminist argue that women are the system of domination in which the men as one group have power over women as a group

“Radical feminism opposes patriarchy, not men. To equate radical feminism to man-hating is to assume that patriarchy and men are inseparable, philosophically and politically.”

Marxist feminists generally see women as a class and argue that women are, like the society. Modern Marxist feminists often view the traditional roles adopted by women as one unproductive in that being of women which is about the production of people, rather than the production of money and all valuable goods.

“A theory of ideology presupposes a theory of the social and this theory, which informs Hennessy's critical reading of postmodern theories of the subject, discourse, positionality, language, etc., is what she calls a "global analytic" which, in light of her references to multinational capitalism, the international division of labor, overdetermined economic, political and cultural practices, etc, is at the very least a kind of postmodern Marxism.”

1998 KRISTIN SWITALA.

“Contemporary Marxists Feminists, as I have seen it, don't usually

deal directly with reproductive or sexual concerns, i.e.

contraception, sterilization, abortion, pornography,

prostitution, sexual harassment, rape, and woman battering, like,

say a radical feminist might.”

Bibliography:

Books-

 John. S, Feminism, Gender And Sexuality pg105 chapter 7, Fourth Edition, viewed 10th April2012, Retrieved from Cultural Theory and Popular Culture

John. S, Feminism, Gender And Sexuality pg136 chapter 7, Fifth Edition, viewed 10th April2012, Retrieved from Cultural Theory and Popular Culture

Rita.F,Modernity and Feminsm, pg 15,viewed 10th April 2012,Retrieved form The Gender Of Modernity

Documentaries-

Born1872-1913, Emily Davison - BBC History, viewed 5th April 2012, retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/davison_emily.shtml

Websites-

Elizabeth W, Feminism , viewed 12th April 2012, retrieved from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/feminism.html

Unknown, Feminism , viewed 12th April 2012, retrieved from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/feminism.html

Unknown, Feminism Quotes , Feminism, viewed 12 April 2012, retrieved from http://www.notable-quotes.com/f/feminism_quotes.html

Kristin.S Feminism Quotes , Feminism, viewed 12 April 2012, retrieved from http://www.notable-quotes.com/f/feminism_quotes.html

Kelly .W, Mad Men Season 5 Photos Show The Cast Dressed To Impress ,viewed 11th April 2012, retrieved from http://www.cinemablend.com/television/Mad-Men-Season-5-Photos-Show-Cast-Dressed-Impress-40417.html

Sanjay . N ,The Rise of Women hood, Feminism and the final wave,11 April 2012 , Retrieved from http://www.rise-of-womanhood.org/feminism.html

Karishma.J,The Rise of Women hood, Liberal feminism,11 April 2012 , Retrieved http://www.rise-of-womanhood.org/liberal-feminism.html

Sanjay N,The Rise of Women hood, Postmodern feminism,11 April 2012 , Retrieved http://www.rise-of-womanhood.org/Postmodern-feminism.html

Jennifer.M,Uncharted worlds , Gender Questions ,15th April 2012 , Retrieved

http://www.uncharted-worlds.org/gender/genderq.htm

Jone .L,Women History,Radical Feminism ,16 th April 2012,Retrieved

http://womenshistory.about.com/od/feminism/g/radicalfeminism.htm

Martha.G, "Marxist Feminism / Materialist Feminism",viewed16th April 2012,Retrievedhttp://www.cddc.vt.edu/feminism/mar.html