There's No Crying in the Break Room

The best advice we’ve ever gotten from Mad Men’s Joan Holloway.

By Sarah Beall

In a show full of great characters, Joan Holloway might just be our favorite. She’s brutally honest, sharp as a tack, and sexy as hell – the wit of Winston Churchill in the body of Marilyn Monroe. And she gives some pretty memorable pieces of advice. Here are our favorites.

Comments ( 21 )

joan is like the hot mom that you always wished your best friends had

slanted commented on Jul 21 10 at 9:45 am

The hot mom?! She's not that old!

lollidolly commented on Jul 21 10 at 10:07 am

This entire article would seem to prove what women are always accusing men of (i.e. liking hot bitches). I think if Joan were not hot, you would not find her witty.

nn commented on Jul 21 10 at 10:10 am

I like the first bit of advice the best, though I don't quite see the need for a paper bag...

manleyhopkins commented on Jul 21 10 at 10:27 am

I don't get the love of Joan. She's incredibly bitchy and I agree, if her boobs were smaller she would be considered insufferable.

ubub commented on Jul 21 10 at 10:35 am

Viewers started liking Joan for the T&A, but that alone can't sustain a character. She's exuding wit and charm and confidence with glimpses of vulnerability.

Me commented on Jul 21 10 at 11:23 am

Joan is brutally honest and articulate and wicked smart; one of the best combinations ever. That's why people like her. That might not be why people *look* at her but that's why they like her.

eso commented on Jul 21 10 at 1:05 pm

This is funny. Based on these comments, people seem only vaguely aware that Joan is not a real person—or that her every piece of sage advice was probably written by a schlubby, misanthropic dude.

johnny commented on Jul 21 10 at 2:02 pm

Lots of hate on this board...jealous much?

J-Bone commented on Jul 21 10 at 2:48 pm

Actually, my favorite line (or scene) with Joan was the one where old man Cooper tells her, "Don't waste your youth on age." That moment was a turning point for her character.

pink umbrella commented on Jul 21 10 at 4:44 pm

"I think if Joan were not hot, you would not find her witty. " Exactly. If she was ugly, we'd call her a bitter cunt.

Moop commented on Jul 21 10 at 4:49 pm

You'd call a woman a "bitter cunt" regardless of what she looks like and whether or not she deserves it, Moop. The pervasiveness of sexism in our culture is a huge part of what Mad Men is all about, right?

pink umbrella commented on Jul 21 10 at 5:12 pm

I think Moop is a woman. I think she was using "our" in the cultural sense. I am a woman, and I agree with Moop.

@pink umbrella commented on Jul 21 10 at 10:51 pm

Joan is style and substance. Yes she's a capital B-itch BUT she's also just as much a victim of the times that she's living in...so if Peggy was saying those words would they be cool...probably not...but then again would Joan have Peggy's power and position if she was still built like a brick house AND could create great copy. As usual...it's apples & oranges.

Chele Belle commented on Jul 23 10 at 10:36 pm

You really think Joan's figure would hinder her professional success? I call BS. I'm sorry, but I totally don't buy the whole "pretty women aren't taken seriously" excuse. And in the show, haven't you noticed how men try to sexually objectify Peggy? Yes things are difficult for both, but I think Peggy made a choice, and Joan made another one. And for some reason a lot of people still glamorize Joan's more than Peggy's.

@Chele Belle commented on Jul 24 10 at 8:55 pm

Betty Draper is attractive, and lots of folks can't stand her. Nobody minds looking at Joan, true, but that's not why we love her.

LawMonkey commented on Jul 25 10 at 12:43 pm

True, many people don't like Betty Draper. Which maybe means what... just that she's more annoying than Joan? But that still doesn't prove that if Joan looked like Peggy, we would not like Joan either.

@LawMonkey commented on Jul 26 10 at 3:13 pm

I'm a pretty woman and I've had far more success with my writing career when I've sent in columns from a gender neutral email address than when I've come in person or than when I've sent samples from my named email address. People think pretty means stupid. Of course, mine is only a case study, but I've always felt I've had to prove myself against my looks. *I* get noticed, my *work* does not.

@ @Chele Belle commented on Jul 28 10 at 2:34 pm

I love Mad men but in my opinion Joan is the type of person you don't want to mess with but still like to earn her respect you know, kinda like a frienemy

ChangedByDefault commented on Jul 30 10 at 4:10 am

Hey Retro Heads! I have just entered a retro-licious “Mad Men” contest, and I need your votes to win a walk-on role on the show! Please go to http://madmencastingcall.amctv.com/browse/detail/EZ3MBH and vote for me! Thanks a bunch, Marcheline

Marcheline commented on Aug 18 10 at 9:26 pm

I believe Mad Men is written by a team that includes a fair share of women. The writing strikes me as feminist, demonstrating the various effects (on both men and women) of a misogynist culture. Don Draper does and says all sorts of shitty things, and no one calls him a cunt. We still regard a harsh message or personality as befitting a man and as a sign of foulness in a woman. The characters are pretty intricately drawn.

wakey commented on Aug 23 10 at 6:08 pm

There's No Crying in the Break Room

The best advice we’ve ever gotten from Mad Men’s Joan Holloway.

By Sarah Beall

Comments ( 21 )

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