There are many different audiences to the TV show 'Madmen', who all take a different reading of the text- preferred, negotiated, or oppositional. This can change depending on individual tastes, age, gender and social background. The uses and gratification theory is used to break down the reasons why audiences may watch certain TV shows, as they are not all watched just for entertainment purposes.
Madmen is set in the 1960s in an advertising agency mostly run by men, but with a few women employee's. The fact that it is set in the 1960s may allow the audience to relate to the show if they are of an older generation, so they are able to identify personally with the characters and the issues which arise e.g. the male dominated work place. However some viewers may misinterpret whats going on as they aren't aware of the issues of the era, but they may also find it informative as they are learning about the attitudes and values e.g. Joans mother brought up the issue of racism by saying 'why dont you hire a coloured girl there use to being bossed around' the connotation of this is that in the 1960s black people were thought of as a lower class than white people and it was common for white people to have a negative opinion of them.
By including controversial story-lines it often makes the audience socially interact as everybody has a different opinion on what is going on. The older generation may have outdated views on society compared to young people, as many still believe in traditional morals such as men overpowering women, and also some may remember what society use to be like before the feminist movement in the 1970s(after the episode occurs). Aspects of this show in the episode such as when Joan is objectified as a sex object to the men as they ask her to spend a night with a man just to win a contract, and this is what they called 'business'.
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