There are a few controversies surrounding the former Mrs. Draper, but one particular Betty storyline was set up all the way back inMad Menseason 1. When we first meet Betty, she is portrayed as the picture-perfect model of a 1960s housewife. The initial fan perception of Betty was that she was a terrible mother, particularly to Sally. However, while she can be cold, the character has since been reevaluated, and there are manysad truths about Betty inMad Men.
Several of them stem from the terrible way Don treats her when they’re married. He is beyond controlling, and the biggest hypocrisy of all comes from his explosive reaction to Betty’s romantic feelings for Henry Francis, despiteDon having many mistresses throughoutMad Men. Though Betty does find some comfort and love with Henry, she’s rarely happy in the series, and as we learn in season 1, this goes all the way back to childhood.
Her Season 5 Storyline Drew A Lot of Controversy
InMad Menseason 5, the once-slenderBetty is shown as having gained a significant amount of weight, and this is her central storyline for a season and a half. Fans and critics were divided on the weight gain plot, and it also launched a slew of internet troll reactions, with many dubbing it the “Fat Betty” storyline.
However, when it comes to the criticism that this storyline seemingly came out of nowhere, Betty’s relationship to weight was actually established all the way back inMad Menseason 1. In the “Shoot” episode, Betty is in therapy where she confesses thather obsession with thinness was put on her in childhood by her mother, who chastised Betty for her love of food and warned her that she would “get stout.“Most of us didn’t recall this scene when introduced to the heavier Betty later in the show, and I wish thatMad Menhad made the correlation stronger.
Why Betty Gained Weight After Divorcing Don Draper
January Jones Was Pregnant At The Time
From a behind-the-scenes standpoint, the reason for Betty’s weight gain is simple — between seasons 4 and 5,Mad Mencast memberJanuary Jones became pregnant. Typically, when this happens with actresses who are main cast members of a TV show, theirpregnancy is either hidden behind loose-fitting clothing or objects obstructing the actress’s stomach, the character herself becomes pregnant, or she’s gained weight.
Despite her pregnancy, January Jones still wore a fat suit to depict Betty’s weight gain.
Given how Betty’s body is a major aspect of her character, it would be noticeable if, all of a sudden, she changed her wardrobe or was hidden behind boxes.A pregnancy storyline would be a little suspect, as Betty had just given birth to Gene not long before the weight gainand likely wouldn’t want to have another baby so soon. So, it was decided that Betty would spend a slew of episodes grappling with a body she’s ashamed of.
What’s really upsetting is that it feelsas if theMad Mencreatives had her gain weight as another way to “punish” her, which is incredibly problematic because having a larger body shouldn’t be portrayed as a punishment. But Betty is full of self-loathing about it, and the show makes way too many comparisons between her and Don’s new wife, the svelte Megan.Mad Meneven contrasts Betty struggling to fit into a dress, with Megan effortlessly getting zipped into hers.
It would have been much more interesting if Betty’s body had changed because her happiness in her new marriage meant she was enjoying life and food in a way she hadn’t before.
The show also gives no real reason for Betty’s weight gain, and this feels like a missed opportunityto call back the conversation with the therapist from season 1. Prior to season 5, the only time Betty wasn’t thin was in childhood, when she was presumably happier. It would have been much more interesting if Betty’s body had changed because her happiness in her new marriage meant she was enjoying life and food in a way she hadn’t before. Then the conflict could come from a society that judged her looks even when she thought she made peace with them.
She Is Diagnosed With Cancer
Besides Betty’s obsession with her looks, the other most defining aspect of her character is her smoking. Rarely is she seen without a cigarette nestled between her red nails. This catches up with her at theend ofMad Men, too, as the final season sees Betty diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. She refuses chemotherapy, andthough she doesn’t pass away in the show, it’s heavily implied that she doesn’t have long left.
The worst part of this is thatMad Men’s weird obsession with punishing Betty extends over to Sally in this storyline. Rather than chase a life of adventure, like Betty encourages Sally to do in her letter, the once free-spirited young woman is seen washing a dish, taking over not just her mother’s domestic role but also her misery. For as much asMad Menis a celebration of great, complex female characters, the show really did Betty dirty — no matter what size she was.
