Matt Weiner, creator of Mad Men, regards his show as feminist, because, he tells HuffPo, it has a "painfully accurate portrayal of the treatment of women [in the 1960s]." We agree, and gathered 15 of our favorite telling moments.
1.) Self-Pleasure
Housewife Betty Draper learns what else a washing machine can do for her.
2.) Marketing Self-Pleasure
Don Draper learns that women can be beneficial in non-secretarial positions.
3.) It's About How Women Want To Be Seen By Men
You'd think it'd be easy for men to market products to women, since they know how women think.
4.) Sexual Harassment
Pete offers Peggy some fashion advice.
5.) Be A Woman
Bobbie offers Peggy some real advice.
6.) Don't Be A Single Woman In Her Thirties
Joan is embarrassed that she's over 30 and that everyone knows it.
7.) The Pill
The Pill won't turn unmarried women into "strumpets."
8.) Abortion
Sometimes women don't want to have children for reasons other than "getting fat."
9.) Chivalry?
It's nice that some men would stick up for some women, but it sucks that the women couldn't stick up for themselves.
10.) Single Mothers
Divorced women are dangerous for real estate. Plastic bags are safe for children.
11.) "It Looks Complicated, But The Men Who Designed It Made It Simple Enough For A Woman To Use"
Joan shows Peggy around the office, and tells her to stare in the mirror naked.
12.) Peggy Wants To Be Treated Like A Xerox Machine
Modern women of the '60s were aggressive. And that's cute.
13.) Husband-Monitored Therapy
Women went to therapists so their husbands would know what their problems were.
14.) "Let Them Know What Kind Of Girl To Be"
Men knew that women needed the most basic instructions, like how to be.
15.) And More Sexual Harassment
There was always more than enough to go around.
Is Mad Men a Feminist Show? [HuffPo]