Who is Peggy Olson?

In the 1960s, the world of mass consumption and television took on a new approach through the world of advertising. The men who worked on Madison Avenue in New York City, the heart of the advertising business, came to be known as "Mad" Men, for their creativity, daydrinking, and the way they could sell products to America. In the fictional world of MadMen, based on the real world of the 1960s, we meet Peggy Olson.

When Peggy starts at Sterling Cooper, she is a secretary for the infamous Don Draper, head of the copywriting team and all creative decisions. Don is considered a creative genius, with a gorgeous wife and two kids in the suburbs. However, Don Draper can also be impatient, demanding, and condescending. Somehow, through both talent and luck, Peggy is made a junior copywriter. 

As she climbs the ranks and grows in talent, we see Peggy's ambitions and motivations shift. She's usually the only woman in the room for a pitch, and she's usually ignored during the networking portions of the job. No matter where she is she's mistaken for a secretary and made to endure sexist comments. At the beginning she tries to minimize her femininity and "act like a man." Ultimately, Peggy realizes this is not the way to get ahead, because she isn't a man and will never be seen as one. But she is a fantastic copywriter who can provide a perspective no man can. Once she realizes this, Peggy is able to do her job and do it well.