The new season of "Mad Men" begins this month. A big part of the show's charm is that it accurately reflects corporate life when I began my time in Cubicle Land in 1972. The guys got to smoke wherever and whenever. Many had a bottle of booze in their desk drawer. Long, liquid lunches were the norm for some.
Meanwhile, the "girls" were subject to sexual harrassment and had no chance of advancing beyond Executive Secretary. But they did extract a subtle revenge on "The Man". Even a 110 pound stenographer could exert unbelievable pressure on a very small floor area with her stilleto heels. Tile floors were the norm in the Steno Pool room. It didn't take long for its surface to resemble the pockmarked moon. As a Facilities Engineer, I was replacing floor tile on an annual basis. The carpeted Executive Offices and Conference Rooms fared little better. Drink spills could be cleaned. Cigarette burns could be covered over. Pathways subject to stilleto heel traffic eroded faster than a snowbank in Florida. Again, I had to replace office carpeting regularly.
Is it coincidence that when corporations banned sexual harrassment, established Equal Opportunity based on gender, and curbed some of the "good old boy" excesses in the late 70s that women began sporting large clunky (and weight-distributing) heels? Floor covering life expanded proportionately with opportunities for women in the work place.
"Mad Men" plans to bring Don Draper and his firm through the 70s. I wonder if the show will pick up on this subtle change in teh workplace.
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