1960s English in Mad Men

Oksana   Thu Oct 01, 2009 12:02 am GMT
I have just finished watching the first episode of Mad Men and I'm shocked at how different English was back then! There are so many words that I don't understand. When Peggy goes to see a gynecologist, I can only guess at what some of the words mean (fanny? never heard that one before!). I'm also having a difficult time understanding some of the cultural stuff. When Peggy wants a birth control pill, the doctor wonders why she needs one if she's not married, and then proceeds to reprimand her for being a bad kind of girl. Where I live, the doctor does the same exact thing! He (or she) calls the patient whores if they shave their private parts or get a disease. He even uses the same instrument that the American doctor has used. Do they not do that in America anymore? Is that what why the scene is inserted in the episode?
blanc   Thu Oct 01, 2009 10:22 am GMT
I think that you have answered your own question. The 'Mad Men' television series is set in the sixties, so it shows what used to go on in the sixties. Things that happened then, do not happen now, because we have changed. The language has changed and moved on as well. But native speakers will have no difficulty in recognising what these old expressions mean.

Fanny, is one of those words that seems to have different meanings in British and American English. Another similar word is 'Randy' which is acceptable as a first name in the States, but means ready for sex in the UK.

As you read and watch, and listen more widely, you will improve your vocabulary and your understanding of English.

Peggy is an interesting character in 'Mad Men' because she is a woman who breaks the mould. The gynaecologist episode reveals the sort of prejudice that she had to contend with. There are probably senior women in organisations who think back to such episodes in their lives with considerable bitterness.

The other thing that is interesting about 'Mad Men' is the sexist predatory attitudes of the men, which were accepted without question.
<   Fri Oct 02, 2009 8:27 pm GMT
Mad man is a very stylish program and it has won a lot of awards.


Judge for yourself




mad.men.s01e08.01

http://www.veoh.com/browse/videos/category/entertainment/watch/v7038846eb3tANsa