Download - Seeing the World Secondhand
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Cultural Studies Review
volume 18 number 2 September 2012
http://epress.lib.uts.edu.au/journals/index.php/csrj/index
pp. 22341
Caroline Hamilton 2012
ISSN 1837-8692
Seeing the World Second Hand
Mad Men and the Vintage Consumer
CAROLINE HAMILTON
UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE
MadMen was the first television series to be produced by the US cable stationAmericanMovieClassics(AMC).Untiltheserieslaunchedin2007thenetworkwas
knowntoviewersmostlyforitsre-runsofoldfilms.Thechannelsreputationfor
nostalgicprogrammingmadeittheidealhomeforaseriesthatreturnedto1960s
Americatoexplorethesocialeffectsoftheadvertisingindustryinthewakeofthe
postwarconsumerboom.Like other premiumcable television showssuchasThe
WireandTheSopranos,MadMenrapidlyattractedahighlydevotedfollowing,but
unlikethegrittyrealitiesofeverydayAmericanlifeofferedbythoseshows,MadMen
offeredaself-consciouslystylisedandstylishpresentationofthepast.Accordingto
earlyreviews,thiswasunderstoodastheprimarypurposeoftheproduction.The
reviewerat theLos Angeles Times, for instance, provided readerswith a two-line
glossontheshowthatread:
SetinaMadisonAvenueadagencyin1960,MadMenhasthestoriedlook
ofTheApartment, Bewitchedand a retroboutique all rolled into one.
Meninslimsuitsandwhiteshirts,womeninpointybrasandsweatersets,
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allsidewayssmilesandwhitehippatteramidtherattleoficecubesand
thetinyclatteroflighters.1
ReviewslikethisimpliedthattoenjoyMadMenoneneededonlyanappreciationof
the original American movie classics in which its host channel specialised, a
concept that generated somewhat unexpected audience excitement: that this
contemporarytelevisionserieslookedsoconvincinglylikethesetofanoldmovie
animated fans totaketo blogsandmessage-boardsto sharetheir obsessionwith
whatonefandescribedasthetinydetailsthatarejustsoperfect.
Iget totallyabsorbedby theblondefurniture,thewardrobes,hair-styles,
thickplastic-lensedglasses,andmake-up.
[What]alsomakestheshowbrilliantistheartdirection,eventhesound.
Thosetypewriters,thosecigarettelighters,theclickingoftheheels.2
Nowentering its fifth season, theaudiences pleasurewiththose tiny details
hasnotdiminished.WhileMadMenhasneverboastedthekindofratingsthatcan
qualifyitasamainstreamsuccess,theshowsimpactonpopularculturehasbeen
widespread.3 Setting the program in the world of Madison Avenues burgeoning
advertisingindustrydrewattentiontothelong-neglectedsocialandculturalhistory
ofadvertisingindustry.Publisherstookadvantageofviewersnew-foundinterestbyproducingtitleslikeKingsofMadisonAvenue:TheUnofficialGuidetoMadMen ,Mad
Men Unbuttoned: A Romp Through 1960s America, and The Real Mad Men: The
RemarkableTrueStoryofMadisonAvenuesGoldenAge.4Moresignificantthanthese
books devoted to unpicking the fictional andhistorical development of consumer
culturewastheshowsinstigationofafull-blownconsumerfeverforallthingsmid-
century:fashions,lifestylesandtheartanddesignofconsumerAmerica.Magazines
likeGQ,VogueandVanityFairnotonlyputthestarsoftheshowontheircoversbut
presentedreaderswithstyleinstructionsfortheirownlives:howtoreplicatethe
look of the Sterling Cooper offices, Betty Drapers kitchen or Joan Holloways
silhouette.TheUSclothingretailerBananaRepublic,inpartnershipwiththeshows
creators, used the distinctive 1960s look as inspiration for a nationwide fashion
campaign;BrooksBrothersproducedasuitbaseduponthatwornbyleadingman
Don Draper (itself based on a 1960s Brooks Brothers original); a nail polish
company released a Mad Meninspired line of colours. Consumer tie-in
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Caroline HamiltonSeeing the World Second Hand 225
opportunities areobviously a lucrative alternative revenue stream for a program
thatreportedlycosts$2.84milliontoproduceperepisodebutMadMenspopularity
ismorethanamarketinginitiative.5IthashadknowinghomagesfromTVstalwarts
SesameStreetandTheSimpsonsandspawnedtheUnofficialMadMenCookbookand
MadMen-inspired Halloween costumes, cocktail parties and theme weddings. All
these attest to the shows status as a social meme.When the show returned to
televisionforitsfifthseasonearlyin2012thestorymadefrontpagenews.
Yet, not everyone is crazy for Mad Men. The shows ability to generate
consumerheathasbeeninterpretedbysometelevisionandculturalcriticsasdirect
evidenceofitsweaknessasgenuinetelevisionart. MadMenhasbeenaccusedby
some of being primarily interested in selling audiences on the 1960s, trading
consumer nostalgia for genuine historicity. Mark Greif, writing for the London
ReviewofBooks ,remarks,forexample:
Theactressesarebeautiful,theBrilliantineinthemenshaircatchesthe
light, and everyone and everything is photographed as if in stills for a
fashion spread. The shows 1950s is a strange period that seems to
stretch from the end of World War Two to 1960, the year the action
begins.Thelessyouthinkabouttheplotthemoreyouarefreetoluxuriate
in the low sofas and Eames chairs, the gunmetal desks and geometric
ceilingtilesandshinyIBMtypewriters.Nottomentionthelushcostuming:
partydresses, skinny brown ties,angora cardigans, vividblue suitsand
ruffledpeignoirs,capturedinthepuredarkhuesandwidelightingranges
thatTechnicolornevercommittedtofilm.6AccordingtoGreif,MadMendevotesitselftothepursuitofanostalgicstyleatthe
expense of genuine attempts to grapple with the legacy of the past. He takes
exception,forinstance,tothewaytheshowinvitestheaudiencetotakepleasurein
lookingatthepast,evenwhileitdrawsattentiontothemanyundesirableaspectsof that history (for example, sexism, racism andhomophobia). Grief believes this
only gratifies audiences by presenting them with artfully constructed scenes of
people looking good while doing the wrong thing. This suspicion regarding the
popularityofMadMenissharedbyDanielMendelsohn,who,inanessayfortheNew
YorkReviewofBooks in2011,proposedthattheaudiencesdelightatandenjoyment
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of the shows mid-centuryaesthetics demonstrates a failure to fully conceive the
significanceofthepast.Mendelsohnaccountsforthisbynoting:
mostofthe peoplewhoare soaddictedto the show are either younger
adults, to whom its world represents, perhaps, an alluring historical
fantasyofatimebeforethepresenterasseeminglyendlessprohibitions
against pleasures once taken for granted (casual sex, careless eating,
excessive drinking, and incessant smoking);or youngerbabyboomers
peopleintheirfortiesandearly fiftieswhoremember,barely, theshows
1960ssetting,attitudes,andlook.7
Mad Mens appeal to this demographic, Mendelsohn suggests, is an example of
inauthenticnostalgia: onlythosewhocannot remembertheperiodwould longto
return there, and only thenbecause theyare luredby aworldmadeofappealing
surfaces.ThisdowngradingofMadMenfromseriousdramatonostalgicfantasyisa
recurrentcritical strategyamonga certainstrandofreviewerskeen todistinguish
themselves from the popular hype. In another review, this time for the online
magazineSlate,PatrickRaddenKeefeexpressesamoreequivocalanxiety.Whilestill
enjoyingtheshowsartfuldesign,heworriestheuseofhistoricalartefactsservesto
reinforce an ephemeral present rather than consolidate historically grounded
understanding of the past: Mad Men is a delicious but ultimately meaningless
immersioninstyleoversubstance.8
Cantherebemoretotheaudiencesenjoymentof MadMensuseofcostume
and design than empty gratification? IfMadMen emphasised other non-material
aspects of history in order to transport its audience back in time, would it be
regardedasamoregenuineandseriousattempttograpplewithhistory,ratherthan
anexerciseinretrogressiveconsumernostalgia?InthisessayIwanttosuggestan
approachtounderstandingaudienceexcitementforMadMensrepresentationofthe
mid twentieth century that goes beyond the typical explanation of style oversubstance. Readings of Mad Men which propose the shows foregrounding of
materialartefactsfromthepastissimplyanexerciseinwindowdressingimposea
falsebinary,implyingthatanyelementof stylecannothavesubstantiveimpacton
the meaning of a text. These readings also assume that interest in the past, and
particularlyinthematerialcultureofthepast,issymptomaticofaconservativeand
superficial nostalgia, implying that historicity is the only acceptable mode of
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Caroline HamiltonSeeing the World Second Hand 227
engagingwiththepast,andthattakingpleasureinlookingbackstemsfromadesire
todisassociateoneselffromthepresent.
MadMenisnotthefirstmediatexttobeaccusedoftrivialisinghistoryforthe
sakeofgratifyingaudiences.Thepopularityofheritagefilmsandperiodpiecessuch
asthoseproducedbyMerchantIvoryinthe1980swerecriticisedbyfilmscholars
forcuratingamuseumaestheticthatspoketoaudiencesinsearchofself-approving
cultural elevation rather than accurate, deep engagements with history.9 Joseph
Hipsky observes of such films, for example, that [c]ritics regularly toast their
sophisticated themes and gorgeous landscapes, architecture, and costumes.
Reviewerscelebratetheirworkashighlyliteraryevenasmarketersofstyle
clothing,accessories,design,interiordecoration,architectureborrowfromtheir
fashions.10Theimplicitconclusionhereisthatsuchresponsesareinappropriate.A
good historical film must not set a social trend. Period-specific details may be
impressive,buttheyoughtnotbethe focusof seriousart.Yet,MadMenchallenges
theauthorityofsuchpronouncements.AstheselectioncommitteeofthePeabody
Award for media excellence and achievement notedwhen it presentedMadMen
withits2007award,thetinydetailsrepresentinmicrocosmthecomplexityof the
largesocialthemes:
ThisshrewdaccountofAmericancultureslidingintothe1960s,holdingby
fingernailsontotheattitudesofthepost-WWII1950s,isassharpasthe
creasesinthetwobuttonsuits,aspreciseasanarrow-knottednecktie,as
wryastheryeonthebar.Italsoremindsusofthesexismathomeinthe
suburbs,oflifeasconstrictingasthecorsetsandthepearlchokers.11
MadMenmobilisesobjectsandvisualdesignfrommid-centuryAmericatoestablish
the role of material things in characterising the complexity of individuals, their
relationships to one another, and society more broadly. Audiences delight in
undertakingtheworkofunderstandingtheserelationshipswithintheframeofthenarrative and, as the programs adoptionas a creative touchstone for consumers
demonstrates,alsodelightinmobilisingsimilarobjectstosimilarendsintheirown
lives.Significantly,criticsofMadMenwhohavedismissedtheshowforitsconsumer
nostalgia fail to note the shows popularity comes at a timewhen the consumer
desiretoinvestinthesignificanceandvalueofobjectsfromthepasthasbecomea
notableculturaltrend.
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WE ARE ALL HOUSEKEEPERS NOW
TheascentofMadMentopopularacclaimmirrorsseveralothergloballysuccessful
cable television programs;Mad Men differs from these other programs is in its
manifestation of an immersive, transmediated pop culture aesthetic amongst its
fans.Few devoteesofTheWireorTheSopranos express a desire toreplicate the
backroomsoftheBadaBingClub,or thecrack-housesofdowntownBaltimore,not
tomentionthesartorialstylingsofaCarmellaSopranooranAvonBarksdale.This
immersiveengagementisthemostdistinctiveaspectofMadMenspopularity:the
showsharesitspassionformaterialhistorywithitsviewers.Arecentarticleinthe
Australian edition of the Big Issue points out, for example, that inMad Men the
clothes,the coffee tables and thecigarette holders aregorgeousdetails,butwhat
makes them penetrate the part of your brain that drives you to visit [charity]
shops?12 In this respect Mad Men serves a function beyond water cooler
conversation, it has become, in the words of sociologist Ann Deslandes, the
exemplary current pop culture platform for the vintage aesthetic.13 This effect owes
much to the shows creator and head writer, Matthew Weiner. Weiner earned
himself a reputation early in the shows production for his tendency to focus
obsessivelyonthematerialaccuracyofhisshow.Muchhasbeenmade,forinstance,
ofhis insistence that the fruit thatwas to adorn a kitchen countertop had to be
replacedbecauseitssizeandshapebetrayeditsoriginsinthetwenty-firstcentury.14
SuchscrupulousattentiontodetailhasmadeWeinerasubjectoffascinationtothe
mediawhohaveusedanecdoteslikethesetoconstructasketchofamanwithan
almostautisticauteurism.Inoneinterview,thejournalistmakesmuchofthefact
thatWeiner,havingonegrandfatherinthefurbusiness,theotherinshoes,hasa
connoisseurspedigree,asif thisancestrymadeWeinerdestinedtobea fastidious
readerofmaterialculture.15
MadMenisnottheoriginatoroftheculturalfashionforthepastbutservesasanoteworthy example of the increasingly mainstream popularity for vintage
consumption. The writers for AMCs website have even formulated their own
awkwardverbtodescribethis:to MadMenoneself.16Attheofficialwebsitefans
can play a game that presents a cartoon version of themselves to be styled in
costumestypicaloftheeraandtheprogram:theold-fashioned,newyoucansip
frommartini glasses, smoke cartoon cigarettes, set a silk scarf at a jaunty angle
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Caroline HamiltonSeeing the World Second Hand 229
whiletotingleopard-skinluggageand,whencomplete,thefinished lookcanbeset
against a favourite Mad Men scene and downloaded. While the myriad cross-
marketingopportunitiesthathavepresentedthemselvesmeanitispossibletoMad
Menyourselfvirtually,or inthelocalmall,therealpleasureapleasuretheshow
itselfdemonstrates;andtowhichitssignificantproductionbudgettestifiesistobe
found in the collection and curatorship of vintage originals. This means
circumventingthemallinfavourofsecond-handshoppinglocations:charityshops,
antiquestores,garagesales,orcarbootmarkets.
Eventenyearsagooldgoodsthatwereantiquatedyetvaguelyfamiliarwould
havebeendescribedasretro,butinrecentyears,ashabitsofglobalconsumerism
have changed, the word vintage has gradually achieved widespread cultural
currency.17Borrowedfromitsuseinwineterminology,anythingnowdescribedas
vintage connotes the application of principles of connoisseurship regarding the
consumption,presentation,careandpreservationofoldobjects.Vintage shopping
places emphasis on the second-hand item as having value for the consumer
accordingtoitsage,ratherthanpre-possession(thusremovingsomeofthestigma
otherwise attached to second-hand goods). Vintage items retain, in the words of
sociologistGrantMcCracken,theirpatinaapropertyofgoodsbywhichtheirage
becomesakeyindexoftheirstatus.18Manyoftheactivitiesassociatedwithretro
andvintageconsumptionarethesame(visitingparticularlocations,usingparticular
languageandspecificknowledge);however,wherethetermretroemphasisesthe
consumersapproachorphilosophyof lookingbackinordertomoveforwardthe
morerecenttermvintageemphasisestheexpertiseoftheconsumerinapplyingthis
approach.19 If the popularity of earlier period dramas like those produced by
MerchantIvorywasattributedtotheirconstructionofamuseumaestheticfortheir
viewers,MadMenspopularitymightbeattributed to its production of a vintage
aesthetic: presenting mid-century America as an emporium of carefully selected,highlydesirableitems,theappreciationofwhichcanaffirmonesaccumulationof
culturalandsocialcapital.
Thereis,asPeterBrooknotesinhisessayonmelodrama,adramaofmorality
attachedtoobjects.20Wetradethemforemotions,forfreedomfromguilt,forself-
esteem,forasenseofidentity.Agrowingnumberofscholarsofconsumerculture
are now taking noteofthedramaofmoralitythat dominates the consumptionof
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mass produced artefacts today. Consumer habits such as second-hand shopping,
foraging and local, fair-trade and free-range consumption movements are being
studied as evidence of new modes of ethical consumption.21 One of the most
interestingofthesemoralmoveshasbeentherevaluationofartefactsofthepast,
especiallyitemsthatoriginateintheeraofburgeoningindustrialproductionofthe
1940s, 50s and 60s. In studies of re-consumption of music, fashion, design,
furniture,cuisineandevenpastimesfromearliercultures,newconsumersexpress
thebeliefthatthisworkconstitutesademonstrationofpersonalvaluesregarding
therecuperativepossibilitiesavailablewithinconsumerculture.Inapost-industrial
world,anobjectsprovenanceandaestheticqualityanddesignhistoryholdmore
influence than its mere novelty notes Adrian Franklin: Objects with tangible
historiesofproductioncomparefavourablytothosecreatednowwhichhaveasort
ofabsenceoforigin.22Olditemsaredesirablenotonlybecausetheyrepresentan
alternative to the present but, more particularly, because they represent an
alternative to contemporary modes of consumption and production. As Arjun
Appadurai describes, contemporary globalised consumption is serious work for
consumers:
the labor of reading ever-shifting fashion messages, the labor of debt
servicing, the labor of learning how best to manage newly complex
domestic finances, and the labor of acquiring knowledge in the
complexitiesofmoneymanagement.Thislaborisnotprincipallytargeted
at the production of commodities but is directed at producing the
conditionsofconsciousnessinwhichbuyingcanoccurEveryhousewife
knows that housekeeping is work, as real as any other. We are all
housekeepersnow,laboringdailytopracticethedisciplinesofpurchasein
a landscape whose temporal structures have become radically
polyrhythmic.23Forthosewhochoosetoconsumevintage,thisconsciousnessisfurtheraugmented
by the labour of evaluation which involves comparing the relative benefits and
deficits of consumer practices, present and past, and the labour of investment,
constructingthepersonalstoriesattachedtotheobjectasisnowusedandasitonce
was.Vintageshoppingthusrequiresa formofdoublediscipline:theregulationof
onesdesiresinrelationtooldthingsastheyarenowandastheyoncewere.The
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Caroline HamiltonSeeing the World Second Hand 231
searchforqualityandvaluethatistheclassichallmarkofconsumerexpertiseis
extendedinvintageshoppingtobecomequalitiesandvalues:thedisciplineofthe
imagination that can link desire for old commodities because of their apparent
noveltyinthepresentwithfantasyandnostalgiaforabetterkindofconsumption.
Forvintage consumers this is serious andoften politically, socially and culturally
complexwork:thepastmayserveasarenewableresourcebutthisisnoguarantee
thatitisalwaysethicallysound.24Itisinstructivetoobservethatjustascriticsof
MadMenhaveaccusedtheshowofusingcostumes,objectsanddesigntoproduce
consumer driven nostalgia with scant attention to the politics and history
submergedbeneaththeobjects (reinvested)aura,actsofvintageconsumptionare
likewisesubjecttosimilarclaims:
Thatwehaveacquiredapassionforthingsthatinanothercontextor
timemarked the curtailing ofwomens lives, the treatment ofeconomic
hardshipasmoraldeficiencyandthecheerfulendorsementofnon-white
peoples inferiority bears thinking carefully about as we wander craft
marketsandvintagefrockshops.25
Unsurprisingly for a show that foregrounds the role of style and design as
storytelling devices, Mad Men reflects upon how and why old objects take on
particularvalueinindividuallives.Anepisodeinseasonthreeusestheredecoration
oftheDraperlivingroomasanopportunitytoexplorehowindividualsexpresstheir
desires regarding the past and the future through material objects.WhileDon is
discussingacontractthatwillseehimcommittedtothecompanyforthenextthree
years,Bettyhiresaprofessionaldecoratortogivetheirhomeanew,modernlook.In
differentwaysbothareconfrontingstasisandchangeasequallytroublingoptionsin
theirpersonallives.BettysdissatisfactionwithherhomelifeismirroredbyDonat
the office. After a final consultation with the interior decorator, Betty leaves her
newly refreshed living room tomeet privately with the charming local politicianHenry Francis. Bettys attraction to Henry is signalled by the transformative
experienceofbeingwitnesstoasolareclipse,aneventthatleavesBettyfeelinga
littledizzy.Henry,helpinghertohercar,noticesalarge,pinkcouchinthenearby
antiquesstoreandobserves,thatswhatyouneed.Afaintingcouch,Henrygoeson
to explain, is what Victorian ladies once used whenever they were feeling
overwhelmed. Appropriately, Betty falls for the fainting couch and Henrys
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euphemistic recounting of the couchs service to the overcorseted ladies of the
Victorian era.She decides tobuy it tocomplementhernew redesignat home.Of
course,itisadisastrousmatch.Asthedecoratoradmonishes:
Decorator:Whatwereyouthinking?Itsawful.
Betty:Itsanantique.
Decorator:Wediscussedthisformonths,andwedecidedantiqueswere
expected.Lookaround!Youhaveruinedthewholeroom.26
IfBettyhasruinedtheroom,sheseemsunperturbed.Bytheendoftheepisodethe
audienceseesthecouch,amidmodernistdesignerobjects,directlyinfrontoftheir
fireplace(aspacethedecoratorhaspreviouslyexplainedisthesoulofourhome),with Betty comfortably ensconced upon its soft, pink folds. If the modern object
embodiesthetechnologicallysophisticatedandprogressiveaspirationsofthemid-
century, Bettys attraction to the antique Victorian sofa reveals a desire to
reintroducesomeaspectofthepastintohermodernlife.Shelongsforanobjectthat
willconnecthertoanold(imagined)life;thelifeofVictorianladies,withwhichshe
sensessomeconnection.
Whenthedecoratorcurses herromantic infatuationwithantiquesas wholly
too expected, modern audiences might sympathise with Bettys desire for
somethingvintagetoconnecthertoanestrangedbutfascinatingpast.Bettysdesire
tobringtheantiquesofaintothemodernlivingspacedemonstratespreciselythe
kind of idiosyncratic labour required forvintage consumption.Vintage goodsare
valuabletotheconsumertothedegreethattheyrepresentabetteroption,even
when the political and social realities represented by these goods are highly
problematic.Atfirstglance,Bettyschoiceseemstodemonstratenothingmorethan
her naive bad taste, but through the context in which her fainting couch is
discovered(outonwhatiseffectivelyaplatonicdatewithanothermanatatimein
herlifewhenitseemsthateverythingisonthebrinkofchange)itisclearthather
attachmenttothefaintingcouchhaslittletodowithaestheticsandeverythingtodo
withhowtheimaginedhistoryoftheobjectconnectswithherownexperiencesin
thepresent.Bettysdecisiontoplaceasofathatrepresentsfemaleconstrictionand
frustrationinthecentreofanotherwisethoroughlymodernlivingroomcreatesan
aesthetic dissonance that cannot be ignored. The past, despite its many
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Caroline HamiltonSeeing the World Second Hand 233
shortcomings, promises the secure territory that the future doesnt offer a
housewife.
In the episodes foregrounding of the role ofmaterial objects, audiences are
instructed to pay attention to the alternative discourse that takes place between
itemsandspectators.Thefaintingcouchisnomereexpectedantiquebutanobject
expressionofsublimatedandconflictingdesiresforamoretraditionalpastanda
liberated,rebelliousfuture.AsKateBollickobserves,Weinerandhissetdesigners
are signposting to audiences the metaphoric language of period objects and the
significancetheypossessbeyondtheirimmediatefunction:
What Weiner is saying with his impeccable sets is that all of these
seemingly superficial material thingsthe god-awful antiques we
inexplicablyfallfor,thetastefulendtablesandsofasselectedforusby
paidexpertsarelegitimateexpressionsofwhoweare.Usedcorrectly
that is to say, digging beneath the notions of what we collectively
rememberorimagineorwishthe1960slookedliketouncoverwhatwas
actuallyavailableandcommonatthetime,thenenteringintothemindsof
thecharacterstoreallyfigureoutwhichchoicesthey,personally,would
makeset design is just as revealing as any line of dialogue, visually
describingnotonlyindividualpersonalitiesandtheirrelationshipstoone
anotherbutsocietaltruths,too.27
CriticalresponsestoMadMenwhichfaulttheshowbecauseitproceeds,forthe
mostpart,likeasoapoperaignorethepotentialmeaningandsubstancetobefound
intheshowsuseofobjects.Forthesecriticstheuseofhistoricallyaccurateprops
andcostumescanonlybeusedtocreateauthenticsignsofthetimesbutcannever
offer a commentary on the social and cultural phenomena equal to believable
conflictsbetweenpersonalityandsituation.28Despitethesecomplaints,thereexists
a substantial body of film scholarship that draws attention to the way in whichprops and costumes are foregrounded in costume films, period pieces and
melodramas(filmgenresoftenmalignedfortheirconservativepoliticsandnostalgic
social discourses). In analysing such genres, scholars point to the alternative
narratives that areestablishedviathemetaphoric languageofperiod objectsand
actions. Often, as SueHarpernotes, the spectatoris aware that objectspossessa
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significance beyond themselves and their immediate function, but ultimately [is]
excludedfromtheirexactcodifiedmeaning.29
Inheressay on thephenomenon of retro shopping, KajaSilverman observes
how consumers use second-hand shopping as way to engage with the past.
Silverman suggests that retro is not evidence of contemporary amnesia or a
straightforwardnostalgia,butis,rather,a practicethatdemonstrateshowthepast
exists through textual traces in a cultural and ideological conversation with the
present.Shedescribesretroshoppingasadialoguebetweenconsumersandclothes;
a private conversation exclusive of the official narratives of history. Such habits
presentachallengetotheusualunderstandingoftimeand textuality:shoppersdo
notapproachartefactsfromthepastaspartofanyobjectivehistorytobe foundin
textbooksbutaspersonalitemsconnectedtohighlysubjectivehistoriesofuse.As
Silvermansays,byrecontextualisingobjectsfromearlierperiodswithintheframe
ofthepresent,consumersrereadtheminwaysthatmaximisetheirtransformative
potential.30Whilethereremainsatendencytodismissconsumption,evenvarious
formsofethicalconsumption,asessentiallytrivial,theseconsumerreengagements
with the material culture of the past demonstrate a howprevious erasmight be
reappropriated for the present in a manner which challenges typical
preconceptions. It is usual, for example, to consider that the only place the past
occupiesforthepresentpopularcultureisasemptystereotypicalreferent,inthe
styleof televisionshowsor films suchasHappyDaysorAustinPowers,orindeed
high-brow period equivalents such as the Merchant Ivory films, yet the current
popularity for a program such as Mad Men and its association with vintage
consumption suggests that modern consumers are interested in personal
engagements with the past of a sort distinct to the kind of blank nostalgia
consideredthehallmarkof1980sand90spopularculture.
InFredericJamesonsinfluentialtheoryofpostmodernnostalgiathehistoricalpastwasreplacedbyfashionableandglossypastness;actualmemoriesofthepast
substitutedwithculturalstereotypeswhichcomeinturntoconstitutethememories
ofpopcultureconsumers.Inthisview,nostalgiaceasestobeanemotiontiedtoreal
experienceandbecomesamediamodea stylisticsimulationbecausethepasthas
become fundamentally estranged.31 However, recent historians of nostalgia have
shown persuasively that it is possible to consume a past that is not ones own
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Caroline HamiltonSeeing the World Second Hand 235
withoutfallingintothetrapofpostmodernsimulacra.Conventionalconceptionsof
nostalgia stress the personal aspect of the phenomenon, assuming the fantasy of
nostalgia stems inevitably from some fragment of actual experience. Fred Davis
sociologicalstudyofnostalgiaarticulatesthiscommonunderstanding:
theweight of testimony seems to suggest that the past which is the
objectofthenostalgiamustinsomefashionbeapersonallyexperienced
pastratherthanonedrawnsolely,forexample,fromchronicles,almanacs,
history books, memorial tablets, or, for that matter legend. (Can I be
nostalgicfortheGanges,aplaceIhaveneverseen,oryoufortheCrusades,
atimewhenyouhaveneverlived?)32
Davisimpliesthattheanswerisno,yettherenowexistsawealthofevidencethatas
an affect and a cultural style nostalgia has become divorced from a necessary
concept of personal lossobjects and images of and from the past can be
understood inotherwaysthatarentnecessarilyto dowithfirst-handyearning.In
SvetlanaBoymsTheFutureofNostalgia,theauthoridentifiesaformofreflective
nostalgiathat,contrarytotraditionalconfigurationswhichpromisetotakeusback
home,insteadprioritisestheindividualexperienceoflongingandloss,emphasising
theimperfectprocessof remembranceand theultimateunknowabilityof thepast.
Boymexplains:
Re-flectionsuggestsnewflexibility,notthereestablishmentofstasis.The
focushereisnotonrecoveryofwhatisperceivedtobeanabsolutetruth
but on the meditation on history and passage of time Reflective
nostalgia cherishes shattered fragments of memory and temporalizes
spaceItrevealsthatlongingandcriticalthinkingarenotopposedtoone
another, as affective memories do not absolve one from compassion,
judgmentorcriticalreflection.33
Thiskindofnostalgiaisnotconservative,doesnotconstrictmeaning:byusingthepastasanexploratoryvehiclethroughwhichtounderstandtheinexplicabilityofour
desires and our origins this activity opens out into questions of knowledge and
belief,it seeks to exploreconfigurations andconceptionsof time and thecultural
andsocialpoliticsbywhichitiscontextualised.
Instead of starting from the assumption that nostalgia is a typically
unreflectiveformofmemory,wemightsaythatitgivessensorydepthto
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ourawarenessoftheotherplaces,timesandpossibilitiesthatareatonce
integraltowhoweareanddefinitivelyalientous.Inthatsense,nostalgia
always has the potential to function as a kind of critical self-
consciousness.34
Rather like Silvermans theory of the dialoguebetween consumerand object and
betweenpastandpresentintheactofretroshopping,thisnostalgicmodeisbest
approached not as naturalised home-coming but as point of departure: an
explorationofthecreativeconstructed-nessofpersonalhistory.
Weiners construction ofMad Men makes it clear that he understands his
audiencesharethisattitude.Usingthecomplexpersonalhistoryofhisprotagonist
DonDraper,Weinerdemonstrateshowitispossibletobenostalgicforapastthatis
notonesown.DickWhittaker,formerlythebastardchildofaprostitute,becomes
Don Draper all because of an opportunistic moment on the battlefields inKorea
whereby he is able to claim another mans identity as his own. Effectively Dick
Whittakerlivesasecond-handlifeasDonDraperheinheritsawarwidow,anew
hometown,evenamedalofhonour.ContrarytothosecriticswhosuggestMadMens
audiencepopularityisattributabletothesecond-handgratificationofwatchingthe
poor impulse control of its leading characters, the shows driving narrative
concentrates on the discipline involved in the morality of objects: Dons daily
labourtomakepersonalmeaningfromtheartefactsofhislife.Likethelabourofthe
vintageconsumer,Donslifeis livedin reflectivemoderelianton reappropriation
andremediation.Theshowhintsthatthisabilitytounderstandthelinksbetween
objects and desires givesDon a special advantage onMadisonAvenue.When the
executives from the Kodak companymeetwith the advertising heads at Sterling
Coopertodiscusshowbesttopromotetheirnewinvention,acartridgeforloading
slidesintohome-projectors,Dontellsthemdefinitivelytheirproductneedsaname-
change.ItsnotcalledtheWheel,itscalledtheCarousel,hesays,sensingthatitisnotthepracticalbuttheemotionalaspectsofthenewproductthatwillcountwith
consumers. It lets us travel the way a child travels, round and around and back
home again, toa placewhereweknowweare loved. Ashespeaks slides of the
Draperfamilyareshownhappy,candidportraitsoftheall-Americanlife.Onlythe
televisionaudienceknowsthe unhappy realitythat lurks beneath theseprojected
imagesofthereallifeofDonDraper:thesecretofDickWhittaker,amarriagein
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Caroline HamiltonSeeing the World Second Hand 237
breakdownandpressuresatwork.35Inrecognisingthevalueinnamingthedevice
theCarousel,Dondemonstratesthatheunderstandstheessentialhumandriveto
reclaimandrefashionthepastaccordingtopresentdaydesiresandrequirements.
Turning round and around and back home again does not mean a literal
homecoming (something neither possible nor desirable for a man like Don), but
rather the ongoing process by which our past is constructed according to our
present desires. Any nostalgic pangs for a lost time or place are self-consciously
creative; historical reality and its textual presentation are collapsedthe
inescapabilityoftextualityismadeapparent,andembraced.
This sense of personal history operating in ongoing carousel mode also
illustrates the degree to which new technology comes to influence our
understandingoftimeandexperience.Theeraofdigitaltechnologyhastransformed
our ability to access, circulate, and consume the culturalpast and this has made
memory amatter of perpetually reconfigurablerandom access.36 Boym connects
the reflective nostalgic mode to the effects of modern day technologies and the
culturalandsocialchangesbroughtaboutbyglobalisation:
Theambivalent sentiment permeates twentieth-centurypopular culture,
where technological advances and special effects are frequently used to
recreatevisionsofthepast,fromthesinking Titanictodyinggladiators
and extinct dinosaurs. Somehow progress didnt cure nostalgia but
exacerbated it. Similarly, globalization encouraged stronger local
attachments.In counterpointtoourfascinationwithcyberspaceandthe
virtual global village, there is a no less global epidemicofnostalgia, an
affectiveyearningforacommunitywithacollectivememory,alongingfor
continuityinafragmentedworld.37
Indeed, it is not only communities but families that are influenced by this
technologically enhancedyearning forcollectivememoryand imaginedcontinuity.The longing to make personal meaning of the past recurs as one ofMadMens
principlethemes.InaninterviewwiththeNewYorkTimesWeinerexplains,partof
theshowistryingtofindoutthissoundsreallyineloquenttryingtofigureout
whatisthedealwithmyparents.38AlthoughinitiallydismissingMadMenasaretro
fashiontrend,oneofthe manyfadsthat takethe formofinfatuationswithcertain
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VOLUME18 NUMBER2SEP2012238
moments in the past, Mendelsohn observes that the shows vintage aesthetic
essentiallyrepresentsachildseyeviewofthepast.
IfsomuchofMadMeniscuriouslyopaque,allinexplicableexteriorsand
posturing,itoccurstoyouthatthisis,afterall,howtheadultworldoften
lookstochildren;whateveritsblankness,thatworld,asrecreatedinthe
show,feelssomehowrealtothoseofuswhowerekidsbackthen.39
Mendelsohnconsidersthepopularityoftheprogram,andparticularlythepopularity
of its period aesthetics, might owe something to the fact that it captures the
sentiment of those attempting to engage with the world of their parents, using
vintageartefactstouncoverthehiddenmeaningsof theirorigin.Thepopularityof
Mad Men among younger audiences, and the combination of this with other
consumptionhabitssuchasvintagecollecting,pointstowardsthepleasurestobe
foundindiscoveryandreclamationofthematerialhistoryofonesunknownpast.
Critical responses to Mad Men which fault the show for promoting indulgent
consumernostalgia fail to take into account how the showspopularity dovetails
withthedevelopmentofnewculturesofnostalgicreconsumptionandreclamation.
The vintage aesthetic has emerged ina culturalmomentinwhichconsumers are
abletoaccess,circulate,andreconfigurethetextualtracesofthepastinnewand
dynamicways;thisinvolvesareconfigurationofnostalgia,dislocatingitfromany
specific meaning in the past.40 As Boym notes, the proliferation of nostalgia in
popularculturemustbesetinrelationto thesignificanceofnewtechnologiesthat
allowaudiencestorescue,recycleandreconfigurethepastintheculturalandmedia
terrain. The proliferation of nostalgic modes, genres and styles reflects an
engagementwiththepastbasedonculturalmediationandtextualreconfiguration
inthepresentviaparticularrepresentationalandtasteregimes.Thepopularityof
the period details Mad Men carefully foregrounds should not be mistaken as
evidence of a straightforward nostalgia for the good old days but rather, asdemonstration ofa desire on the part of the shows creators and its audience to
reappropriate, reinterpretandreread thepast accordingtoalternativenarratives
informedbypresentdaydiscoursesregardingpersonalidentityandprovenance.If
the reclamation and reconsumption of the past can be said to have become an
establishedcultural styleit isnota result ofa crisis ofloss, but rather,througha
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Caroline HamiltonSeeing the World Second Hand 239
surfeitofinformationtechnologyandglobalflows,itiswhatwehavegainednew
marketsforoldthings.
CarolineHamilton isaMcKenzieFellowwiththe Publishing andCommunications
programattheUniversityofMelbourne.Sheispresentlyworkingonastudyofthe
work livesand culture ofAustralian smallpublishersand freelancers. She isalso
coeditinganissueofCulturalStudiesReviewonthesubjectofamateureconomies
tobepublishedin2013.
NOTES
1MaryMcNamara,BackWhenMenWereMadMen, LosAngelesTimes ,19July2007,
(accessed30January2012).
2SeecommentssectioninMaureenRyan,WildaboutMadMen:ATalkwithCreatorMatthewWeiner,
ChicagoTribune,15October2007,
(accessed20Dec2011).
3Theshowsreturnforseason5attracteditshighesteveraudienceof3.5million.Toputthisin
perspective,intheUnitedStateswhenthecurrentmostpopularTVshow, TwoandaHalfMen ,
returnedtoscreenslate2011itattractedanaudienceof27.7million.
4JesseMcLean,KingsofMadisonAvenue:TheUnofficialGuideto MadMen,ECWPress,Toronto,2009;
NatashaVargasCooper,MadMenUnbuttoned:ARompthrough1960sAmerica ,HarperCollins,New
York,2010;AndrewCracknell,TheRealMadMen:TheRemarkableTrueStoryofMadisonAvenues
GoldenAge ,Quercus,London,2011.
5AviSalzman,Analyst:MadMenDealwithNetflixShouldSpurLionsGate, Barrons,7April2011.
,accessed23January2012.
6MarkGreif,YoullLovetheWayitMakesYouFeel, LondonReviewofBooks ,23October2008,pp.15
16,(accessed30
November2011).
7DanielMendelsohn,TheMadMenAccount,NewYorkReviewofBooks ,24February2011,
(accessed30November2011).
8PatrickRaddenKeefe,Week3:IsMadMenJustaGuiltyPleasure?, Slate,1September2009,
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VOLUME18 NUMBER2SEP2012240
(accessed24Nov2011).
9AndrewHigson,TheHeritageFilmandBritishCinemain DissolvingViews:KeyWritingsonBritish
Cinema,ed.AndrewHigson,OxfordUniversityPress,Oxford,1996,pp.23249.
10MartinA.Hipsky,Anglofil(m)ia:WhyDoesAmericaWatchMerchantIvoryMovies?, Journalof
PopularFilmandTelevision ,vol.22,no.3,1994,p.98.
11PeabodyAwardwebsite,Winners2007,
(accessed31March2012).
12LorinClarke,WhattheDonHasDone,BigIssue,26October2010,p.14.
13AnnDeslandes,FleaMarketEthics,NewMatilda,16March2010,
(accessed19December2011).
14DeirdrevanDyk,10Questions:MadMencreatorMatthewWeiner, Time,3April2008,
(accessed15February2012).
15NeilMidgley,MatthewWeineronCreatingMadMen,Telegraph,15January2010,
.
16,MadMenYourself,AMCMadMenwebsite,(accessed
13March2012).
17ElizabethE.Guffey,Retro:TheCultureofRevival,ReaktionBooks,London,2006,p.25.
18GrantMcCracken,CultureandConsumption:NewApproachestotheSymbolicCharacterofConsumer
GoodsandActivities ,IndianaUniversityPress,Bloomington,1988,p.54.
19Guffey,p.3.
20PeterBrook,TheMelodramaticImaginationin ImitationsofLife:AReaderonFilmandTelevision
Melodrama,ed.MarciaLandy,WayneStateUniversityPress,Michigan,1991,p.64.
21SeeforexampleTaniaLewisandEmilyPotter(eds), EthicalConsumption:ACriticalIntroduction ,
Routledge,NewYork,2010.
22AdrianFranklin,TheEthicsofSecond-HandConsumptioninLewisandPotter(eds),p.165.
23ArjunAppadurai,ConsumptionDurationandHistoryinModernityatLarge:CulturalDimensionsof
Globalization,UniversityofMinnesotaPress,Minneapolis,2000,pp.823.
24
R.A.Peterson,CreatingCountryMusic:FabricatingAuthenticity,ChicagoUniversityPress,Chicago,1997,p.220,qtdinSharonZukin,ConsumingAuthenticity, CulturalStudies,vol.22,no.5,2008,pp.
72448,726.
25Deslandes.
26SevenTwentyThree,MadMen,season3,episode7.
27KateBollick,TheFaintingCouchforBestSupportingActor, Slate,28September2009,
(accessed
23February2012).
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Caroline HamiltonSeeing the World Second Hand 241
28Mendelsohn.
29SueHarper,SexualityinCostumeMelodramain GainsboroughMelodrama,ed.SueHarperand
RobertMurphy,BFI,London,1983,p.50.
30KajaSilverman,FragmentsofaFashionableDiscoursein StudiesinEntertainment:Critical
ApproachestoMassCulture ,ed.TaniaModleski,IndianaUniversityPress,Bloomington,1986,p.150.
31FredericJameson,Postmodernism,ortheCulturalLogicofLateCapitalism ,Verso,NewYork,1991.
32FredDavis,YearningforYesterday:ASociologyofNostalgia ,FreePress,NewYork,1979,p.8.
33SvetlanaBoym,TheFutureofNostalgia ,BasicBooks,NewYork,2002,pp.4950.
34NadiaAtiaandJeremyDavies,NostalgiaandtheShapesofHistory, MemoryStudies ,vol.
3,no.3,2010,p.184.
35TheWheel,MadMenseason1,episode13.
36JimCollins,ArchitecturesofExcess:CulturalLifeintheInformationAge ,Routledge,NewYork,1995,p.
45.
37Boym,p.xiv.
38AlexWitchell,MadMenhasitsMoment,NewYorkTimes ,22June2008,
(accessed12
March,2012).
39Mendelsohn.
40Oneofthebestexamplesofthisnewlytechnologisedvintageaestheticincludethesmartphoneapps
suchasInstagramwhichallowuserstoaddfilterstodigitalphotographstomakeimagesappearolder,
fadedanddatedinwaysthatsuggestearliererasofmediadevelopment(sepiatone,kodachrome,
polaroidandsoon).