Nov 122009
Just so you know, Mad Feminist News is the place for not just feminism, but also discussions of racism and for airing progressive political ideas in general that don’t quite belong in the regular Mad News.
Which is to say, it’s the perfect place for Fuck Pete Campbell.
Pandagon looks at how Betty serves as an indictment of a particular kind of role for women, and how that indictment makes certain anti-feminist conservatives really uncomfortable.
Jezebel summarizes and kisses off Betty Draper of S3, and makes some really good points about the depiction of Betty’s inner life.
56 Responses to “Mad Feminist News #6”
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This comment at pandagon was interesting, I wonder if this is what Don meant by that comment about a life raft…was he admiring Betty's skills of manipulating this guy?
"No way she marries Henry. She’s leaning on him and allowing him to help her, but she’s essentially using him. He is her life raft. You use a life raft to get to land, you don’t marry it."
Meowser – that is an interesting thought, because S1 was when I fell in love with both the Betty character and JJ's performance, but I get why so many people don't.
The name "Betty" implied to me from the beginning that this character was representing the bored, lost housewife examined by Betty Friedan and, IIRC, "the problem that had no name." What was amazing to me was how fully fleshed out they'd made the character, finding a real woman behind the stereotype.
I am with those who believe we know a lot about Betty – in fact I think we know enough to see her very clear. Not just her background, but her actions in the three seasons all point to the kind of woman she is and her motivations. We know her mother was not warm to her, and was a big factor in Betty believing her only assets were beauty, poise and pedigree. I think it is pretty clear that any other talents she may have had were downplayed – and she does have them. We have that when we've seen Betty in action, both as Don's partner (with the Barretts and the Utz folks, at the Heineken dinner, in Rome) and on her own – as a model, sharpshooter and effective amateur politico. Her major in college also implies a greater intellect than she shows.
Even Betty's "rebellion" focused on her looks – running off to Italy and modeling, and we know how much her mother liked that. So Betty rebelled a little more even as she did the stereotypically correct thing – married a handsome man and became the perfect wife and mother.
The problem is that Betty is not terribly good at the one job she's been told she must be a success at – and Lord knows she's tried. From S1 through the baby and the S2 reconciliation, all the way up to the month or so after Don's admission of his past we've seen her commitment to maintaining the social expectations. The morning after Don's confession and on the day of the Kennedy assassination, before the news broke, we saw how much Betty was trying to make her marriage work – and I really think she thought there was a chance. Betty knew there was a distance between her and Don, that he really didn't understand her. She thought it was because of his reticence, which was explained by the admission of his stolen identity. The night Don told her the truth was the first time he was totally honest and open with her, and she thought that was the first step towards something different.
But Don and Betty's marriage is not faltering just because he lies, or even because he cheats (which was expected at the time – although Don has been horribly indiscreet), it is because Don fundamentally does not see Betty as an equal. She is younger, she seems to be less intelligent (I don't buy that) – she's the perfect image of the perfect wife, but she isnt' a whole person to him. I don't know if he realizes that even now. Certainly we saw in both "The Grownups" and "Shut the Door, Have a Seat" that Don was still treating Betty the same – there was no real change in their relationship.
And Betty was not made to be a suburban wife and mother – and that is why she hates her life, her friends, Ossining…The tragedy of Betty is that she still can't see beyond societal expectations, especially about divorce. We saw how the neighbors treated Helen Bishop, and time and again Betty's fear of that kind of social isolation. She is only willing to leave Don now because a) there's a backup husband to retain her status and b) Don's lies have given her the moral superiority in the relationship – it's all his fault.
Betty needs to realize – and I thought she might after "The Grownups," that she needs something for her self – a job, a charity, a passion. It will make her a better person and a better mother, but she simply cannot see that right now. She will be as bored with Henry as with Don and I don't think we've seen the last of her. I really believe MW has an interesting future for the potential feminist.
Also, I didn't interpret Betty being on the plane as equaling she's not going to see Sally and Bobby at Christmas. Henry was with her, remember; he's got a job, and it's highly unlikely he plans to blow that off to live with her (not to mention that it would have been scandalous for someone in his position to shack up with someone before marriage, let alone with someone who hasn't been divorced yet).
And I don't think Carla's going to abandon her family over the holidays to babysit them 24/7 that whole time, either. I'm interpreting that shot as they're going there for a couple of days to help nail down a place for her to live after the first of the year (since people usually do sign leases or whatnot a couple of weeks before they move in, and he's paying for it), and then she goes back (sans Henry) after the holiday to live out her residence and get the divorce. The older kids are in school, which is why she has only the baby with her now, and will probably stay there while she's in Reno so they don't have to be yanked out of class.
And if she doesn't look ecstatically happy, well…who does after they've just split with a spouse? Even if you know it's the right thing, it still sucks. Also, I say no way does she marry Henry before he gets to know the kids. Even Henry would agree to that. (I also think there's a pretty good chance he'll relent on the no-money-from-Don thing, since Betty could easily make the argument, "What if something happens to you?")
Oh, and on watching the episode again just now, Henry looked asleep to me on the plane.
Matt Weiner has said that he decided the ending of S3 and worked back from there. So if Betty and Don were headed for Divorce and Don’s the protagonist in this story, maybe he chose to show the decline of their relationship partly by showing Betty’s increasing depression, which translated to a dull and mean personality to the viewers. With the exception of “The Souvenier”, she was shown less layered this season than in previous seasons (especially 1). Or maybe JJ played her a bit “hard”, not sure. I had no problem relating to her point of view, but I feel like a lot of viewers just didn’t get it.
"Or maybe JJ played her a bit “hardâ€, not sure. I had no problem relating to her point of view, but I feel like a lot of viewers just didn’t get it."
That's the one thing I love about the acting on this show, none of the actors are afraid to play unlikable. If they must show an awful side to their character, they do it and don't try to mask it in any way.
I agree, especially JH, VK and JJ. JJ is FEARLESS!