As most of you know, Mad Men returns tonight after a 17 month hiatus, and throughout the week, the actors and actresses have been appearing on the morning talk shows to promote the new season. The other day, Matt Lauer (poorly) interviewed Matthew Weiner, Jon Hamm, John Slattery, January Jones, Vincent Kartheiser, Jared Harris, and Kiernan Shipka. Of course, Betty Draper's mothering was a point of discussion. Lauer noted that it's bad, and Jones balked. But, Weiner stood up in her defense.
I've always wondered about people's strong reactions to Betty's mothering. My students hate her, even after we talk about the 1950s, read sections of The Feminine Mystique, even after I ask them to imagine being in her position. I guess it's hard for them to do. After all, they are (mostly) 18-year-old, over privileged white students with iPhones, Louis Vuitton "bookbags," and internships on the Hill. They point to this video to defend their critiques.
And, I'll be honest. I didn't really understand Betty in full until I became a mother, even if I was a bit more sympathetic than my students. Intellectually, I understood her plight (after all, I did teach Women's Studies classes at the University of Delaware), but emotionally, I didn't connect until Baby Beeton arrived. Then, I realized how I struggled to care for Baby Beeton with kindness and patience when met only with screams, how hard it can be to take a shower some days let alone set my hair and make sure my nail polish and toe polish match, how difficult throwing something together in the crock pot can be, how lonely I felt even when my husband would be home long before Don Draper ever made it back from the city.
I was glad that Weiner defended Betty a bit. After all, her life is filled with difficulties, and while she is far from perfect, I think a lot of her characteristics are understandable given her situation. Admittedly, I was concerned for her further character deterioration in Season Four, afraid the writers were listening too hard to my students (after all, villains can be fun... isn't that why we all love to hate Thomas?). One of the reasons Mad Men is so successful, I feel, is because the characters are all flawed; they are round, not flat, and I hope that sentiment is remembered in Season Five and that Betty is fleshed out once again.
So, when I put on my Betty Draper inspired, houndstooth shirt dress that I found at Polly Sue's for our premiere party tonight, I won't be thinking about the Vulture video. Instead, I'll have this image of Betty in my mind. Because after all, doesn't this scene really say it all?
Keep sweeping, Martha
