Pop Culture Depictions of Diversity in Business – Mad Men, Super Store, and Barbie

Abstract

From only having women in the secretarial pool (as depicted in Mad Men) to having women and racial minorities in the workforce (as depicted in Super Store), to a company that creates a fictional world where women hold all the top positions (Barbie) we have come a long way. Both Mad Men and Super Store are American TV shows – Mad Men was made in the current day to depict life in the world of advertising agencies in New York in the 60s. Super Store is a series on Netflix about the issues workers face in a big company in the present day. Barbie is a big-budget film, funded by Mattel, the company that created the doll called Barbie. In this article, I will argue that both shows and the movie have interesting things to tell us about present day conversations and policy fixes to address diversity issues in corporations. While we have come a long way, problems persist. The article also seeks to make three broader points. First, pop culture has an indirect impact on policy-making in corporate law and on corporate behaviour. Second, most pop culture narratives paint corporations, big business, and entrepreneurs as the villains. However, there are exceptions to this. Indeed, the three shows/ movies I have chosen to study here are in some ways exceptions to this trope. Third, contrary to the narrative about business always representing evil, corporations have, in many instances, been able to contribute positively to society including on the issue of diversity. This last point is particularly apparent when we compare the past (Mad Men) to the present (Super Store and Barbie).

Keywords: Diversity, corporations, corporate law, social media, pop culture, films, web series, Barbie, Mad Men, Super Store, populism, companies, corporate law