10 most feminist moments in Mad Men’s 1960s sea of misogyny

“Farewell to Mad Men” still, image via AMC

Megan Calvet leaves SCDP to pursue her acting career

Megan Calvet, like most of Mad Men’s female characters, is initially defined by her romance with a male character. Megan starts out as Don’s secretary, and unsurprisingly they become attracted to each other and quickly take up a romance. That romance escalates when in lieu of a nanny, Don offers to double her salary for coming to Disney Land with him and his two kids. This also marks the beginning of their mixed business and personal lives.

While Megan and Don proved to make a very strong couple, Megan had to make a lot of sacrifices for Don in the home and in the office. When she first started working at the agency, she expressed interest in becoming part of the creative team, not to get closer to Don but to be more engaged with the work. After their relationship kicked off,  Megan did a lot to accommodate Don and his kids on a regular basis. In this way, she became a great mother and wife, but it wasn’t necessarily the life she was trying to bargain for upon entering SCDP. So it was very satisfying when, in season five, she finally stands up for herself and pursues an acting career, away from Don’s work and family.

What I really liked about this transition in Megan’s story was that she comes into her own autonomy without sacrificing her relationship with Don, Bobby, or Sally. She remains a good mom and wife (and in a way becoming an even better one) while still pursuing her true dream. The only caveat here is that she’s only really able to do this with Don’s support, but hey, that’s the world we’re living in, in Mad Men. The fact that she could stand up for herself, make clear her needs to Don, and have Don agree to help her with this, makes this moment one of her finest feminist moments.