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Meet the Euro Pop Princesses of the '60s: Yé-Yé Girls

Tara Block — Fri, 25 May 2012 14:52:29 PDT

Are the yé-yé girls having resurgence? First there was Megan's infamous Mad Men song and dance number, and now they've come up again in Wes Anderson's latest film Moonrise Kingdom. In the film - set in 1965, a year before this season of Mad Men - Suzy Bishop is one half of the lovesick preteen couple at the center of the movie. While her style is clearly fashioned after the yé-yé girls, Suzy's interest in the pop singers is brought up at one point when she shows her love interest, Sam Shakusky, her favorite album, Tous Les Garçons Et Les Filles by yé-yé girl Françoise Hardy. Later in the movie, Sam and Suzy have a very entertaining dance scene on the beach in their underwear to her song "Le Temps de l'Amour" ("The Time of Love").

Derived from "yeah! yeah!", the yé-yé movement was comprised of female pop singers from France, Québec, Italy, and Spain. The themes and lyrics of the songs, often written by men like Serge Gainsbourg, were deceptively innocent, as the girls beamed sexy naiveté. One not-so-innocent song Serge wrote for yé-yé singer France Gall was "Les Sucettes" ("Lollipops"), which was really referring to oral sex. It included the line, "Annie loves lollipops, aniseed lollipops, when the sweet liquid runs down Annie's throat, she is in paradise." Learn more about France and other popular yé-yé girls like Françoise Hardy, Sylvie Vartan, and Sheila.

Sex and Hare Krishna: Mad Men's Mother Lakshmi Didn't Follow the Rules

Annie Scudder — Mon, 21 May 2012 12:03:03 PDT

This week on Mad Men, we get a visit from Paul Kinsey, who has gone from progressive, pipe-smoking copy editor to confused Hare Krishna devotee. The Hare Krishna movement was founded in NYC in 1966, the year that's coming to a close on this season, and attracted beatniks like Allen Ginsberg and Beatle George Harrison, one of its most famous followers. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness, or the Hare Krishna Movement, as it is officially known, is based on Hindu traditions and got the attention of the city's hippies when it started. Ironically, it did not back free love.

On the episode, Paul Kinsey's Hare Krishna love interest, Mother Lakshmi, decides to seduce Paul's friend and former co-worker, Harry Crane. Showing up at the office, she lets Harry believe that sleeping together is not against the rules of the religion. You can't blame Harry for believing her, since the Hare Krishna meeting he attended had a strong counter-culture vibe. But in fact, "no illicit sex" is one of the four regulative principles of Hare Krishna consciousness.

Sexual contact is only OK between married couples for the purpose of reproduction, and sex is considered the most powerful connection to the material world, a bond Hare Krishnas want to break. The other three rules include: no eating meat, fish, or eggs, no gambling, and no use of intoxicants. Devoted Hare Krishnas would have disapproved of Roger Sterling's acid drop. But, of course, not everyone followed the rules in the '60s and high-profile members like Allen Ginsberg disagreed with the prohibitions.

Vegetarianism and yoga were part of what made Hare Krishna exotic back in the 1960s, while its negative attitudes toward premarital sex were conventional then. Today, things have switched around. Its rule against sex for pleasure seems extreme, thanks to the sexual revolution, while vegetarianism and yoga have gone mainstream.

Mad Men's 5 Maddest Moments: "Christmas Waltz"

Shannon Vestal — Mon, 21 May 2012 11:38:08 PDT

This week's Mad Men brings back a character we haven't seen in a while, Paul Kinsey, and gives us a look at a relationship between two characters - Joan and Don - who we don't often see interact (but wow, when they do, is it entertaining). Financial problems also start to make Lane Pryce sweat in a subplot that's obviously leading to something far more serious.

The Paul story line kind of feels like a filler-y diversion, but I still liked seeing the old character and getting to see a side of Harry Crane, who's been relegated to being made fun of by Don lately. There are big moments this week I want to discuss, though, so to get to it, just read more.

The Rise of Weight Watchers in the 1960s

Annie Scudder — Mon, 14 May 2012 11:00:42 PDT

This week on Mad Men's "Dark Shadows" episode, Weight Watchers serves as a type of therapy for Betty Francis, who can definitely use it. Boredom, jealousy, and insecurity dominate Betty's life as a 1960s housewife on her second marriage, and she's turned to bags of Bugles to pass the time. Now determined to lose the weight, the former model turns to a new diet plan gaining popularity with women like her, Weight Watchers. Considering Betty's mother-in-law already tried to push diet pills on her, which contained amphetamines at the time, the group meetings are the responsible approach to weight loss for Betty Francis.

If you think Weight Watchers was a phenomenon of the '80s or remember Duchess Sara Ferguson as its spokeswoman in the '90s, you may have been surprised to see Betty attending meetings way back in the '60s. Jean Nidetch, the founder of Weight Watchers, got the idea for the weight-loss method after struggling herself to lose and keep off weight with diets and pills. Jean, who had weighed as much as 214 pounds, lost 20 with a diet prescribed by the New York City Board of Health, but couldn't keep it off. So in 1961, she decided to hold meetings with other women facing the same issues with weight at her home in Queens, NY. By Oct. 1962, she had lost 72 pounds.

Thanks to her success, Jean's meetings took off, and she went from having them every week to multiple times a day. She soon recruited other group leaders, like the one we saw running Betty Francis's meetings, who had previously lost weight with the program and continued to keep it off. In 1963, Jean and her husband Marty incorporated the business, and by 1965, they exported the franchises to Canada, Puerto Rico, Great Britain, and Israel, with 102 in total. Changes would come in the '70s, with a psychologist coming on and exercise being introduced, and in 1978 the company was purchased for $100 million by another brand featured this season on Mad Men: H.J. Heinz.

In 2010, Weight Watcher's founder published her autobiography, The Jean Nidetch Story: An Autobiography, which came after her 1972 book The Story of Weight Watchers. The autobiography is described as the story of Jean's "personal struggles, rags-to-riches rise, and sunny, can-do attitude." If only Betty had a hint of a sunny disposition. Instead, her all-consuming jealousy is casting dark shadows.

Photo courtesy of AMC

Mad Men's 5 Maddest Moments: "Dark Shadows"

Becky Kirsch — Mon, 14 May 2012 06:44:57 PDT

It feels like just yesterday it was summertime in Mad Men world, but alas, we've already arrived at Thanksgiving. It's not exactly a celebratory episode: Betty's cranky about both her new diet and Don's new wife; Pete's still struggling to figure out his life; and Don and Ginsberg have a showdown at work.

Roger, on the other hand, is still using his money to get everything he wants, which includes using Jane for some help landing a new client and paying off Ginsberg. And Ginsberg's success is Peggy's lack thereof; with him cleaning up, she has less and less to show for her work. Ready to break down the big moments? Just

Carry that weight: Betty's already looking noticeably thinner than the fat suit episode, and it's because she's joined Weight Watchers. Her weekly meetings seem to be helping with her portion control, but despite measuring her sad little grapefruit dinners on the scale each night, she still can't resist sucking down a little whipped cream every now and then. As much as Betty irritates me, my heart went out to her at the end of the episode when she eats her tiny Thanksgiving dinner and seriously savors her one allotted bite of stuffing.
Green-eyed monster: While Betty's picking up the kids, she gets an eyeful of Don's swanky new apartment - and his new wife. Clearly shaken up by the incident, she retaliates by spilling the beans about Anna to Sally while Sally is in the midst of making a family tree. Betty easily manipulates Sally into thinking that Megan is a liar, but the joke's on Betty in the end. After a squabble, Don explains the Anna situation to sassy Sally and Sally reports back to her mother without even mentioning the argument. Betty proceeds to freak out. I've got to hand it to Megan for convincing Don not to call Betty in a rage; not only is Megan spot-on about giving Betty what she wants, but she also diffuses the argument pretty quickly.
Fantasy land: Pete is particularly smug because he's been chatting with a reporter from the New York Times Magazine who's doing a piece about ad agencies. Once he's done bragging about his connection with Roger and Don, he assures them that he'll be the only one contacted for the interview. Pete then proceeds to have gross sexual fantasies about how the article will help him win Beth back, but - surprise - he doesn't even make it into the article! He calls Don enraged, but it's clear that Pete's really just mad at the world since, once again, things are not going his way.
Wine time: Bert asks Roger to court a potential new client, and since it's Manischewitz wine, he suggests that Roger's Jewish wife could be of service. Though Bert is a bit behind on his interoffice gossip, Roger still takes the client and asks Jane for help. In return, she asks for a small favor, and by that I mean a brand-new apartment. Roger agrees, and then proceeds to um, christen the new apartment with Jane after dinner. She's angry that he's tainted her new place, but there's a much bigger concern at play here than Jane's whining: when is all the money that Roger's been throwing around going to catch up with him?
Still got it: While Don's putting in a little overtime at the office, he comes across Ginsberg's folder of sketches, and is inspired to get back to basics. His idea is a little dark (you know, because it's based in hell and all), and he puts it head to head against Ginsberg's childlike pitch for the same product, SnoBall. The rest of the team likes both ideas, and agrees that Ginsberg should be the front-runner. Too bad Don conveniently leaves Ginsberg's pitch in the taxi, and sells his snowball's chance in hell idea to the company. Ginsberg obviously isn't in a celebratory mood, but when he confronts Don about what happened, Don just shuts him down. Now that both Don and Peggy feel threatened by Ginsberg, might we see them teaming up against him?

There's also more death omens in this week's episode, including Megan teaching Sally how to fake cry by focusing on something sad, and of course, the mysterious toxic smog that invades Thanksgiving. How'd you feel about the episode overall?

Photo courtesy of AMC

The Poem That Inspired Mad Men's "Lady Lazarus"

Annie Scudder — Mon, 07 May 2012 11:05:16 PDT

Megan Draper sets out for a new life this week on Mad Men, as she quits her job at Sterling Cooper Draper Price to resurrect her acting career. As the title of the episode, "Lady Lazarus," suggests, our friends on Mad Men are adapting to new lives. Don lets Megan pursue her acting dream, but he's lost at work without her. Pete has morphed into the sad Don of the past, cheating on his wife and sneaking around. Megan is leaving the working world to go back to acting class and auditions, finding time to play the housewife in between.

The episode borrows both its title and themes from a Sylvia Plath poem ("Lady Lazarus") about rebirth. Lazarus, of course, refers to the man Jesus raises from the dead in the Bible. In Sylvia Plath's poem, which uses allusions to Nazi Germany, the narrator almost dies three times. The first is an accident, the second is a failed suicide attempt. Sylvia Plath did commit suicide in real life, and her "Lady Lazarus" poem reads in part:

The second time I meant
To last it out and not come back at all.
I rocked shut

As a seashell.
They had to call and call
And pick the worms off me like sticky pearls.

Dying
Is an art, like everything else.
I do it exceptionally well.

Finally, the third time, she is reborn like a phoenix: "Out of the ash/ I rise with my red hair/ And I eat men like air." The rebirth is not wanted, and she hopes to eat the men who continue to revive her.

The episode about new life came filled with overt references to death, just like Sylvia Plath's poem. When Pete talks life insurance with his train buddy, Howard, he touts that his current plan even covers suicide after two years. Howard later mentions that Pete's father died young, but in a plane crash - an accident. We also see Don warn Megan about the dangers of cooking barefoot, and Don nearly step into an empty elevator shaft. Later, Megan lies lifelessly on the floor during her acting class, and Don listens to the Beatles song "Tomorrow Never Knows," off their album Revolver. This season, you can find signs predicting the death of a variety of characters. But perhaps the line from the poem - "Dying/ is an art, like everything else/ I do it exceptionally well" - references Megan. After all, Peggy complains that Megan does everything exceptionally well.

The uncomfortable changes and rebirths present in both the poem and the episode could represent the societal upheavals happening in 1960s America. Change is coming whether these individuals want it, and rebirth is being forced on some of them.

Photo courtesy of AMC

Mad Men's 5 Maddest Moments: "Lady Lazarus"

Becky Kirsch — Mon, 07 May 2012 06:30:14 PDT

Megan and Pete have been center stage for much of this season of Mad Men, and they're back in the spotlight this week. Pete's journey to rock bottom continues with more self-destructive behavior, while Megan makes a major life change that affects Don and her co-workers.

We haven't seen a lot of Don and Peggy standoffs lately, but Megan's decision throws them back together - and not necessarily in a good way. There's a lot to chew on, so let's get into it when you

The lying game: Megan receives a call at work that's suspiciously from someone who's using her maiden name. That night, she tells Don that she's working late, but then tells Peggy that she's going to dinner with Don. It doesn't take long for their wires to get crossed, with both Peggy and Don realizing that something isn't quite right.
Pack your ads and go: As it turns out, Megan's basically the only character on this show that's not sneaking around with someone else; rather she was at a late-night callback for an off off Broadway play, and comes clean to Don about the lie almost immediately. That's only the tip of the iceberg though: she also admits that she's not happy at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, despite her obvious talent for advertising. Don tries to talk her out of quitting, but eventually succumbs and says he's willing to help her chase her dreams. Joan draws the obvious connection between Betty's background as a model and Megan's acting, but Don's disappointment really shows the differences between his two marriages. He truly wanted Megan to succeed as a copywriter rather than be relegated to a trophy wife; will his feelings toward Megan change now that he's realizing she's not the complete anti-Betty?
Getting the shaft: Despite his endorsement, Don's obviously not that excited about Megan's decision to leave SCDP, and he gets a creepy omen when Megan leaves the office for the last time: an empty elevator shaft. Not only is it an unsettling sign, but the moment is reminiscent of the Mad Men season 5 poster that featured a falling man.
Gilmore girlfriend: Pete's obnoxious train buddy Howard brags about his new floozy in the city over a morning chat about life insurance. Right on cue, Pete finds Howard's wife Beth (it's Gilmore Girls' Alexis Bledel!) stranded at the train station waiting for her husband, and asks if Pete will give her a ride home. It doesn't take a genius to predict what happens next: she's vulnerable, he's desperately unhappy, so they end up doing it. Though Beth tells Pete she doesn't want to see him again, Pete becomes fixated on her and even worms his way into their household at dinnertime. He proposes that she meet him for a hotel rendezvous, but she stands him up. However, when he sees her later in the car with Howard, she sends him a very mature message: a heart drawn in her steamed-up window. Pete seems to be looking for anything to latch onto these days, but with the casual mentions of suicide and life insurance, I'm a little worried about what will happen to him if he plays into Beth's mind games.
Just try it: Don's not just emotionally affected by Megan's decision to leave; she also leaves Don hanging with his new campaign for Cool Whip. Peggy is once again caught in the middle, this time tasked with playing Don's wife for their little skit for the "head of desserts." Peggy mucks up the bit, leading to an all-out bickerfest between her and Don that feels a lot more like an authentic married couple than their skit. They blame each other for Megan's departure, and Peggy eventually shuts him down.

Photo courtesy of AMC

Mad Men's 5 Maddest Moments: "At the Codfish Ball"

Shannon Vestal — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:26:21 PDT

This week's Mad Men puts the spotlight on Megan, who has a career breakthrough at work, though she's less successful with her visiting parents. Peggy's domestic situation is also highlighted when she takes her relationship with Abe to the next level, and Roger is bouncing back from his separation from Jane quite nicely - though it would have been nice if he could have kept his pants on.

This week's episode is far less stressful than last week when Megan goes missing, but there's still plenty of fodder to chat about. To see what I thought were the five maddest moments of the night, just read more.

A History of Shacking Up in America

Annie Scudder — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:45:36 PDT

"He's using you for practice," Peggy Olson's Catholic mother warns this week on Mad Men. Mrs. Olson isn't too pleased that her working-girl daughter has decided to "live in sin," as the elder Olson describes it, with her boyfriend Abe. Modern American women with traditional parents may find the disapproval over moving in together familiar, but compared to the 1960s, society in general has become much more accepting of cohabitation.

In 1960, only 439,000 American couples lived together without a ring. After the sexual revolution of the '60s it only rose to 523,000 in 1970. Yet by 1980 the figure tripled to 1.5 million couples, according to the census. Today, 7.5 million unmarried American couples live together. Those very different figures give context as to why someone like Joan would call Peggy "brave," but also consider that before 1970, cohabitation was technically illegal. Today, Mississippi, Virginia, Florida, and Michigan still have laws on the books, but they're rarely enforced.

Despite her rebellious ways, we still see Peggy adopting some of the habits of a homemaker on Mad Men. Dressed in an apron, she makes a ham for Abe, his favorite. She even has a portrait of John F. Kennedy hanging in her home, just like her mom. But back then, couples who lived together weren't necessarily on their way to marriage. In the 1960s and '70s the minority of couples who "shacked up" saw it as a progressive statement against marriage and viewed living together an end in itself.

Today, it's often regarded as a step toward marriage; the higher divorce rate may explain the desire to test things out first. In 2002, the National Survey of Family Growth found that 65 percent of unmarried couples who lived together in fact got married within five years. So as cohabitation becomes mainstream in America, many of those couples still see a trip down the aisle as their path toward happily ever after. They'll just practice, often with each other, first.

Photo courtesy of AMC

Words of Wisdom From Mad Women

Tara Block — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:43:27 PDT

After a long wait, Mad Men finally returned to TV, and Don Draper and the rest of the Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce gang are living very eventful lives in 1966 NYC. Of course, we were especially excited to see the mad women back onscreen. Joan, Peggy, Betty, Trudy, Megan, and the rest of the ladies of the show have always shined, and we love their quippy one-liners on life, love, and sex. Check out some of our favorite words of wisdom from the women of Mad Men now from all the seasons, and let us know what your favorites are in the comments!