Peggy Olson is one of the most iconic characters from the hit TV show Mad Men. As a secretary turned copywriter, Peggy represents the changing roles of women in the workplace in the 1960s. Her journey of professional growth is reflected in the evolution of her office space. Here is an in-depth look at how Peggy Olson’s office grows up throughout Mad Men.
Humble Beginnings
When we first meet Peggy in Season 1, she is a naive secretary for the advertising firm Sterling Cooper. She sits at a shared pool of secretaries, working on a typewriter and answering phone calls. Her desk is simple – just a table, chair, typewriter, phone, and notepad. This reflects her junior status at the agency as well as the limited professional opportunities for women at the time. However, Peggy immediately shows creativity and initiative, which leads to her first big break.
Copywriter Office
After impressing Don Draper with a slogan she created on the fly, Peggy is promoted in Season 1 to junior copywriter. She is given her very own office, though it is tiny and windowless. It contains a desk and chair, typewriter, phone, and a small bookshelf. While sparse, this represents Peggy taking her first steps up the career ladder and staking her own claim in the office. She displays her creative spirit by tacking up photos and inspirational quotes on the walls.
Sharing with the Boys
In Season 2, Peggy’s copywriting partner plants pornographic images in their shared office in an effort to embarrass her. Unfazed, Peggy uses the incident to lobby for her own private office. She is given a slightly larger office with a window, though she still only has a desk, typewriter, chair, phone, and small sofa. While it’s an upgrade, she has to share a door connecting her office to Paul Kinsey’s. This represents how she has earned more standing but still has obstacles due to the boy’s club mentality.
Ad Woman Office
After a couple of years honing her skills, Peggy returns from maternity leave in Season 4 with a major promotion to full copywriter. With her own secretary and more clients, her office space grows accordingly. She now has a large desk, typewriter, phone, bookshelves, and a meeting table with chairs. Her increased status is clear, though the office remains practically furnished compared to the male executives’ spaces. This reflects how she prioritizes work over flash.
Competing with the Big Guns
In Season 5, Peggy is made Copy Chief and head of her own creative team. She decorates her sizable new corner office with modern photography, plants, and a plush sofa for clients. This reflects her creative leadership and success winning accounts like Heinz and Cool-Whip. However, it is still smaller and more humble than Don’s elaborate office, showing she has farther to go.
Leaving the Nest
When Peggy resigns from Sterling Cooper & Partners to join a rival firm in Season 7, she is given a huge corner office with panoramic views of Manhattan. This spacious, brightly lit office indicates Peggy has been embraced as an equal creative force to be reckoned with. The contrast to her first dark, cramped office shows just how far she has come professionally. However, she decorates this office simply like her previous ones, demonstrating that for Peggy it’s not about the trappings of power but fulfilling her ambitions.
Peggy Olson’s journey from secretary to senior copywriter is one of the most satisfying arcs in Mad Men. Her office evolving from a shared pool to an executive corner office visually captures her transformation into an empowered career woman ahead of her time. While she still faced gender barriers, Peggy foregrounds her ambition and creativity rather than her office accoutrements. For a pioneering ad woman like Peggy, her real success is measured by her ideas, not her square footage.
Frequently Asked Questions about Mad Men’ Style: Peggy Olson’s Office Grows Up
What was Peggy’s first office like when she started at Sterling Cooper?
As a secretary, Peggy did not initially have her own office. She worked at a shared pool of secretaries, seated at a simple desk with just a typewriter, phone, and notepad. This reflected her junior status at the firm and the limited professional opportunities for women at the time.
How did Peggy get her first office after being promoted to copywriter?
After impressing Don Draper with a creative advertising slogan, Peggy was rewarded with her very first solo office. However, it was tiny and windowless with just a desk, chair, typewriter, bookshelf, and phone. While sparse, it represented her first step up the career ladder at Sterling Cooper.
Why did Peggy have to share an office with Paul Kinsey?
When Peggy was promoted to full copywriter in Season 2, she lobbied for her own private office after Paul Kinsey embarrassed her with pornographic images. She was given a slightly bigger office with a window, but it came with an adjoining door to Paul’s office. This represented the persisting boy’s club mentality despite Peggy’s rising status.
How did Peggy decorate her first standalone office?
Peggy put her creative stamp on her first private office by tacking up inspirational quotes and photographs on the walls. She also added personal touches like vases of flowers. This stood in contrast to the masculine decor of most other offices and reflected Peggy’s independent spirit.
How did Peggy’s office change when she became Copy Chief in Season 5?
With a promotion to Copy Chief, Peggy was given a spacious corner office that she decorated with modern photography, plants, and a plush client seating area. This reflected her new leadership status and success winning major accounts for the agency.
Why did Peggy take a minimally decorated office after leaving Sterling Cooper?
When Peggy moved to a new agency in Season 7, her huge corner office with panoramic views indicated she was finally seen as an equal force. However, she eschewed lavish decor, preferring simple furnishings that let her focus on her work rather than the trappings of power and status.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Peggy Olson’s journey of professional advancement from secretary to Copy Chief is vividly represented through the growth of her office space in Mad Men. Her rise from a shared pool desk to an executive corner office captures her transformation into an empowered career woman who finds success through her creativity, ambition, and innovation rather than gender or status. While she still faced barriers, Peggy’s ascension was groundbreaking in the 1960s workplace. Her office evolution visually punctuates her refusal to be confined to the secretarial pool and her determination to be defined by her work, not her decor. Peggy Olson’s office growing up serves as a riveting symbol of a pioneering ad woman staking her claim in a man’s world.
