# Betty, Joan, or Peggy? (a special superficial poll for MAD MEN fans) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 9, 2009, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betty-joan-or-peggy-a-special-superficial-poll-for-mad-men-fans/513230 "2009-10-09T19:46:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![B.Serum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/b.serum/32/14266_2.png) [@B.Serum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.Serum)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betty-joan-or-peggy-a-special-superficial-poll-for-mad-men-fans/513230/41 "2010-02-17T00:13:31Z")
Though I haven’t started watching this show yet, I need to vote emphatically for Christina Hendricks’ character. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betty-joan-or-peggy-a-special-superficial-poll-for-mad-men-fans/513230/42 "2010-02-17T00:24:11Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > The bearded fellow? I took it that she was being bitchy to him, and he deserved it. I could easily be wrong, though, as I remember no details whatsodamnever. She was, but in a racist context. She implied that his black girlfriend was an accessory for his Boho image. I have to say I’m going with the crowd and picking Joan, too. There is just something about a woman who can do it all (and, of course, doesn’t get paid or appreciated for half of it). Whenever you hear about the benefits of treating the male CEO’s receptionist or stay-at-home wife nicely because she runs things, this is the type of woman they’re talking about. Betty is what she is, and it’s hard to think she’ll ever be able to completely change from what society wanted her to be. Peggy is amazing and I’d love her as a colleague but likely not as a friend or lover, though she can’t help but be all-work – she hasn’t got her own girlfriend or wife to take care of her life for her. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betty-joan-or-peggy-a-special-superficial-poll-for-mad-men-fans/513230/43 "2010-02-17T01:01:48Z")
> [@Cat\_Fight](#): > > She was, but in a racist context. She implied that his black girlfriend was an accessory for his Boho image. And she was right. Paul wanted to straddle both worlds; be the bohemian artist to his office buddies, reveling in tales of how he participated in anti-segregation marches in Alabama, and simultaneously lecturing a bus-full of black activists on how Marxism needed marketing, all the while holding himself above both. But I bet he does a hell of an Orson Welles impression. As for the O.P., I can’t believe that there is any choice but Joan (who would play the live action version of Jessica Rabbit in both figure and voice), though I have to agree with **River Hippie** that Joy was very fetching; she’s very pretty, of course, but there is something both simultaneously innocent and yet seductive about her smile. Joan isn’t just beautiful; she’s utterly self-assured and in control of herself, and then makes the mistake of going conventional and getting hitched to some would-be surgeon despite the warning signs. Oh, and yes, Hendricks was as equally endowed in her guest roles on _Firefly_, though the outfit she wore in “Our Mrs. Reynolds” didn’t do much to emphasize the, uh, nuances of her figure. Peggy is a zero; she’s perfect in the part, but even at her svelte weight in a revealing dress she’s about as enticing as a sack of potatoes, and with a curious and not slightly off-putting obsession for asexual Wil Wheaton clones. Betty is a brittle shell of a woman, only interesting to look at from a distance. And Trudy? A self-entitled daddy’s little princess who seems to realize on some level that she married a spineless jackass but at the same time is curiously adoring of him. She’s more like a kid sister than an object of romantic interest. Damnit, I just finished watching the first two series. Now I want to go back through them again. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Prelude\_to\_Fascination](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Prelude\_to\_Fascination](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prelude_to_Fascination)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betty-joan-or-peggy-a-special-superficial-poll-for-mad-men-fans/513230/44 "2010-02-17T02:01:41Z")
I voted Joan, although I despise redheads. Betty’s too bitchy, and while I like Peggy, she’s too Catholic (so was I when I was extremely young, and I still carry the guilt…). So it’s Joanie all the way. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betty-joan-or-peggy-a-special-superficial-poll-for-mad-men-fans/513230/45 "2010-02-17T02:09:09Z")
Never saw the show. Have few reasons to watch it, but which one plays Annie on “Community?” She’s my vote. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betty-joan-or-peggy-a-special-superficial-poll-for-mad-men-fans/513230/46 "2010-02-17T02:20:10Z")
Left out the lovely Jane Sterling played by [Peyton List](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0514228/) and\*\* Miss Farrell\*\* (the teacher) played by [Abigail Spencer](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0817844/) who is extremely beautiful. Peggy is not very attractive, Betty is pretty is a cool icy way but I prefer brunettes by far. Joan is sexy but not my ideal type. Jane and Miss Farrell are my types, especially Miss Farrell. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betty-joan-or-peggy-a-special-superficial-poll-for-mad-men-fans/513230/47 "2010-02-17T03:52:45Z")
I guess the guys are supposed to vote for who they want to fuck, and women vote for who they want to be? Cuz I’m a woman and I chose Joan. Go Joan! ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betty-joan-or-peggy-a-special-superficial-poll-for-mad-men-fans/513230/48 "2010-02-17T05:37:27Z")
Betty is bitter and secretive, and Peggy is creepy and conniving. Joan is the closest to being well-adjusted, genuine, and thoughtful. ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betty-joan-or-peggy-a-special-superficial-poll-for-mad-men-fans/513230/49 "2010-02-17T09:08:33Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Joan isn’t just beautiful; she’s utterly self-assured and in control of herself, and then makes the mistake of going conventional and getting hitched to some would-be surgeon despite the warning signs. Yeah, she definitely shouldn’t have married Dr Rape, but in her position, she is to marry someone, right. A career as a single secretary isn’t a good option in the long run. And in one of the more annoying misfortunes of that series, no one noticed her great work in the tv department. I don’t really see the same as you about Trudy. What did she do wrong, other than to marry a jerk? (Pete is the opposite of Don Draper. Don is analytical, doesn’t depend so much on the opinion of others, and holds things in. Pete is impulsive, defines himself by how other people view him, and says everything on his mind.) ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betty-joan-or-peggy-a-special-superficial-poll-for-mad-men-fans/513230/50 "2010-02-17T13:04:29Z")
Of the three nominated, Joan hands-down. Hubba[sup]2[/sup]. Peggy is sweet, but I don’t find her attractive. Betty is attractive like a mannequin is, high-maintenance and basically, an idiot. My first pick would probably be Rachel Menken. Unlike a lot of the women characters on the show, she’s as smart as she is beautiful. Also, I’m not Jewish, but I’ve had really good relationships with Jewish women. I always liked Kitty Romano, but that may be because she’s a dead ringer for a really cute co-worker of mine. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betty-joan-or-peggy-a-special-superficial-poll-for-mad-men-fans/513230/51 "2010-02-17T13:17:09Z")
Skald: New York Magazine just [voted](http://nymag.com/fashion/10/spring/63808/). (_Maybe_ not safe for work.) ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betty-joan-or-peggy-a-special-superficial-poll-for-mad-men-fans/513230/52 "2010-02-17T14:01:44Z")
I’ll take the pale, thick(as in size, not in intelligence), redhead with large boobies please. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betty-joan-or-peggy-a-special-superficial-poll-for-mad-men-fans/513230/53 "2010-02-17T15:58:26Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > Skald: New York Magazine just [voted](http://nymag.com/fashion/10/spring/63808/). > > (_Maybe_ not safe for work.) Good Og, I don’t know if those images are safe for real life! Stranger ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betty-joan-or-peggy-a-special-superficial-poll-for-mad-men-fans/513230/54 "2010-02-17T16:03:58Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > Skald: New York Magazine just [voted](http://nymag.com/fashion/10/spring/63808/). > > (_Maybe_ not safe for work.) It changed my vote. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betty-joan-or-peggy-a-special-superficial-poll-for-mad-men-fans/513230/55 "2010-02-17T16:29:27Z")
> [@mr.jp](#): > > I don’t really see the same as you about Trudy. What did she do wrong, other than to marry a jerk? (Pete is the opposite of Don Draper. Don is analytical, doesn’t depend so much on the opinion of others, and holds things in. Pete is impulsive, defines himself by how other people view him, and says everything on his mind.) Well, she manipulates Pete, both in to buying the apartment and in attempting to adopt a child, despite his express objections. Of course, Pete needs to be manipulated, as he really has no original ideas of his own, and no spine except for his asinine temper tantrums. Indeed, the only reason I can see that she would be attracted to him is that she can manipulate him into doing what she wants, just as she does her father. They’re basically a pair of co-dependent narcissists, and I find her character nearly as distasteful as his. She also looks and sounds as if she’s about fourteen years old. I just don’t find her remotely appealing. Personal taste, I suppose. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betty-joan-or-peggy-a-special-superficial-poll-for-mad-men-fans/513230/56 "2010-02-17T16:48:41Z")
I want to be the meat in a Betty/Joan sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betty-joan-or-peggy-a-special-superficial-poll-for-mad-men-fans/513230/57 "2010-02-17T19:10:59Z")
> [@Cat\_Fight](#): > > She was, but in a racist context. She implied that his black girlfriend was an accessory for his Boho image. That’s not necessarily racist of _Joan_. She could easily have been pointing out that his Bohemian image was an affectation not truly indicative of his true feelings–that he was treating his black girlfriend as an object rather than a person. > [@Death\_of\_Rats](#): > > I want to be the meat in a Betty/Joan sandwich. Threeways are much less fun than people think. That particular combination sounds like a disaster, no matter who the meat was. (Even if it were Peggy, comelier than either of bread-slices.) ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2010, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betty-joan-or-peggy-a-special-superficial-poll-for-mad-men-fans/513230/58 "2010-02-18T12:42:25Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > That’s not necessarily racist of _Joan_. She could easily have been pointing out that his Bohemian image was an affectation not truly indicative of his true feelings–that he was treating his black girlfriend as an object rather than a person. Joan’s telling Sheila that maybe one day, she’d be a customer at the grocery store where she worked sure sounded racist. Not evilly so, but subtly and condescendingly, as many people were then. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2010, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betty-joan-or-peggy-a-special-superficial-poll-for-mad-men-fans/513230/59 "2010-02-18T20:50:14Z")
> [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > Joan’s telling Sheila that maybe one day, she’d be a customer at the grocery store where she worked sure sounded racist. Not evilly so, but subtly and condescendingly, as many people were then. I don’t remember that one (or, for that matter, who Sheila is), but I’ll take your word for it. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2010, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betty-joan-or-peggy-a-special-superficial-poll-for-mad-men-fans/513230/60 "2010-02-18T21:45:11Z")
What **F. U. Shakespeare** said. I don’t think it necessarily means she was horribly racist, for the time, just that she has a petty side. She was right about Kinsey’s phoniness and probably still had some romantic feelings for him, but it was a nasty little swipe. If his girlfriend had been overweight or just lower class (and white) she probably would have said something just as nasty. But racist insults were just too easy – same as now, I guess. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betty-joan-or-peggy-a-special-superficial-poll-for-mad-men-fans/513230.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/betty-joan-or-peggy-a-special-superficial-poll-for-mad-men-fans/513230.md?page=4)