Mad Men : exploring gender performance and the crisis of masculinity

This thesis explores enduring cultural responses to the notion of a true self through a\ud close reading of the television series, Mad Men. It employs the psychoanalytical theories of Freud, Riviere and Kristeva to illuminate the portrayal of gender performance in\ud seasons one through four of this series. This analysis of Mad Men reveals an intentional\ud focus on femininity and masquerade in a patriarchal society. This focus on the feminine\ud masquerade causes deformation of the male characters, many of whom seem to undergo a\ud crisis of masculinity. The theme of masquerade in Mad Men ultimately speaks more to\ud and about current gender issues in the United States than it does to those in the 1960s.\ud The series uses masquerade and gender performance to take a stance against the notion of\ud a one true self - a self that is not socially constructed and is the same in public as it is in\ud private