Mad Men‘s Peggy Olson’s arc is a success story. She started off as an invisible, awkward secretary who barely kept up with the exciting social changes of the 1960s and climbed all the way to the top of the advertisement business a more confident and ambitious woman.
While she quickly climbed the corporate ladder, that didn’t mean that she was also thriving as a human being. She was actually getting worse and worse with every season. Just like her boss, Peggy is also an extremely flawed character. It was inspirational to see a young woman make it in the cut-throat world of Madison Avenue, but disappointing to see that she did absolutely nothing to change the unfair status quo of the 1960s workplace.
At First, Peggy Was Helpless
From the very first second, it was painfully clear what kind of a girl Peggy is: insecure, naive, shy, and traditional. The way she acted and dressed instantly made her stand out of the crowd. As seasons progressed, she became far more fashion-forward, modern, and outspoken. Who would have thought that quiet church mouse would end up saying truly iconic things?
Rather than keeping everything to herself, she revealed who she really was. Unfortunately, it turned out that she is by no means as innocent and naive as it first seemed. Peggy, too, had several flaws and some of them only became more pronounced the less helpless she became.
She Didn’t Know She Was Pregnant
Even though she wasn’t the most attractive in the office, it didn’t take long until Pete Campbell set his eyes on her. The two shared a clumsy night together and conceived a child. Peggy didn’t know that she was pregnant until she went into labor, which means she had very little idea about how women’s bodies work. Did she not suspect anything when she was late or when she started putting on weight?
Pete didn’t know at the time that he became a father. Peggy decided to sweep such a huge thing under the rug as if it never happened. She confronted Pete about it years later, when it no longer made a difference.
She Took Don’s Awful Advice
Speaking of sweeping things under the rug, it was Don who came to visit her in the hospital and gave her a very unhealthy life lesson based on his own life: “Peggy, listen to me. Get out of here and move forward. This never happened. It will shock you how much it never happened.”
Peggy took his advice, but it turned out to not be exactly true. Whenever Peggy was around little children, it was obvious she was wondering what happened to the child she gave away. It’s not the action itself that is problematic but dealing with it by sheer denial that is an indicator that Peggy has indeed gotten worse.
Questionable Work Ethics
It’s delightful to see Peggy climb the corporate ladder since women back then typically weren’t taken seriously. She truly was one of the most competent writers on the show. However, her work ethic was absolutely horrendous. Throughout the seasons, we saw her walk around as if she owned the place, yell at her superior, and pout. That kind of behavior would never fly today.
In “The Suitcase”, she courageously stood up to Don when she came back to the office to work late. He didn’t know it was her birthday and told her that she should have told him, to which she replied “Right, like there would be no repercussions …”, which was extremely passive-aggressive and out of place. She made it look as if Don was some restrictive and punitive boss, but that was never the case.
She Stole Don’s Heinz Pitch
In “To Have and To Hold”, Don and Peggy represent two different ad companies. Peggy went from being his protege to becoming his competition at Cutler, Gleason, and Chaough. As Peggy gives her presentation, Don is eavesdropping at the door. To drive her point home, she uses Don’s iconic sentence: “If you don’t like what they’re saying, change the conversation.” A truly memorable moment that made us question who is the lead character of the show – Don or Peggy?
In her defense, the world of advertising was a cut-throat business. She had to see countless of her ideas being transformed into something great without ever getting credit for it. She decided to play the dirty game and she was really good at it. It takes a lot of manipulation to stay at the top and Peggy knew how to do just that.
She Was Judgemental Towards Megan
Peggy didn’t want to be like other girls when it comes to fashion and demeanor. She typically looked down on women who made it thanks to a powerful man. For example, Megan got promoted because she was Don’s wife and that never sat well with Peggy. Meanwhile, she had an affair with two married men as well as men with considerable power. Her affairs with Duck and Ted definitely helped her get ahead in life, but she failed to recognize it and judged other women for sleeping with men in power.
It just goes to show that Peggy is two-faced and hypocritical. She always believed she deserved promotions and success because she was competent, but failed to see Joan, Megan, or any other woman in the same way.
She Yelled At Shirley On Valentine’s Day
Peggy used to work as a secretary, so she should know better than anyone else that people’s assistants are way underrated and overlooked. “A Day’s Work” offered a glimpse into just how presumptuous and entitled Peggy is. Her assistant Shirley got flowers for Valentine’s day, but Peggy automatically they are for her. Several floral misunderstandings later, Peggy yelled at Shirley, told her to grow up, and had Joan reassign her.
What she should have done is apologize to her hard-working assistant. Unfortunately, the more powerful she got, the less self-aware she seemed to be.
From Insecure To Self-Righteous
Peggy was the first woman copywriter at the firm and considering just how smart she was, it was a delightful development. But as she was promoted to a position higher than other women have, she became increasingly self-righteous. It’s as if she only started displaying the dark side of her new-found confidence.
At first, it was frustrating to watch just how poorly adjusted Peggy was. It was hard not to feel sorry for her, which made her one of the most likable characters on the show.
Where Is Her Humbleness?
Seasons 6 and 7 revealed Peggy in her final form: rude, selfish, and overly-defensive. Regardless of Don being far from a perfect mentor, she owes his success to him, but for some reason, she acts as if he was her worst enemy. Peggy worked alongside two creative geniuses who both saw something special in her. When she worked under Lou who she didn’t have that special bond with, she felt very frustrated and couldn’t stand being just a regular employee.
It’s not like Peggy should kiss the ground every time Ted or Don walked in. But if she understood just how lucky she was, she might have ended up as a better person who would help other women get ahead. She had that power, yet never exercised it.
She Was Ultimately Driven By Validation
At first glance, Peggy is a feminist. She prioritized her career over being a stay-at-home mother and wife, she worked alongside men as if she were one of them and refused to dress in a way that accentuates her figure in a suggestive way. However, she is actually far more hungry for validation from men than, say, Joan. She doesn’t work for money, she goes where relationships are nicer: that’s why she went to work with Ted.
Peggy told Don that it would be nice to feel appreciated and to be thanked, to which Don angrily replied: “That’s what the money is for!”. What she loved about becoming a copywriter wasn’t necessarily the job itself, but the fact that Don chose her rather than any other good-looking secretary in the office.
