The whole world loves Mad Men, but why? It's simple really; whether you're a man or a woman, you love Mad Men for one reason: Don Draper. This is okay. It's downright reasonable, in fact.

Now, there are men out there who would blanch at this statement. They don't want to admit they are in some way attracted to Don Draper, that this is somehow a blemish on their manhood. As a result they will say it is the bevy of attractive women on the show, but it is not and I'm going to list the reasons why. Let's break down the women of Mad Men, one by one. We'll start with Bets.

Betty Francis (January Jones): Yes, Bets is pretty, very pretty in fact. About the only bad thing I can say about her physically is that she needs to eat a sandwich (maybe several). So what? Some guys like a skinny (and by skinny, I mean malnourished skinny) woman, right? Granted, and that would be fine except for a few extenuating factors: she's selfish, she's manipulative, she's lazy, and she's a horrid bitch! She's such a bitch, even her kids hate her! If you met this woman in real life, she'd be a one-night stand.

Joan Harris (Christina Hendricks): Joan has been somewhat passed around the office which is great, you know she is willing, and she has one of the prettiest faces in Hollywood! So what is the drawback? Well, simply put, from the neck up, she looks like an angel, from the neck down, she looks like Marilyn Monroe got locked in a chocolate factory for a month! She is not curvaceous, she is huge!

Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss): She is smart and sassy and sarcastic. The problem is she looks like what you might expect your sister to look like in the 1960's. She's got all the personality you want but physically, she's dull, bland, run-of-the-mill, a farm girl in unflattering plaid dresses. And it doesn't help that you get the feeling she's one extended camping trip away from a mustache.

Megan Draper (Jessica Pare): I know, Sou Bisou Bisou. She's willing to dance provocatively for Don in front of his co-workers, but it is simply not enough. Megan is what I like to call, the Chameleon; you think she's pretty, but only in certain light. Obviously what screws up her face are her teeth--she needs to see a dentist, she needs braces, she needs less teeth! She's skinny though, right? Eh--she appears skinny but when you see her in her intimates, it's not a good skinny--she's thin but without any tone; skinny with cellulite might as well be husky but with a pretty face; both are short-lived relationship combinations.

So what then do men really like about the show? I.E. why do they like Don Draper? The same reason women like him: he's brooding, he's a womanizer, and he's an asshole. The whole thing is set up so that a man will like Don, and one of the tricks to this is the surrounding male cast. We'll start with Roger Sterling.

Roger Sterling (John Slattery): He's rich and handsome, which one would think would make him a potential threat to Don--he's not. He's Don twenty years ago. He's past it and everyone knows it but him, though he's starting to realize it.

Pete Campbell (Vincent Kartheiser): Kind of like Megan Draper in that he can be construed as good looking in certain light. However, he is a douche. He is the guy all guys what to beat up or at least humiliate. He's not a threat because he knows he's not a threat. He knows he'll get beat up if he steps out of line.

Ken Cosgrove (Aaron Staton): Nicest guy in the office. He's not interested in what you have and you're not interested in what he has. He has his own ideas of success and it has nothing to do with title, position, money, or sex.

Harry Crane (Rich Sommer): Looks like Clark Kent needs to go on a diet. Plus he's a huge dork!

Bertram Cooper (Robert Morse): You love him because he's what you wish you grandfather was: rich, somewhat senile, and looks a bit like The Colonel (of KFC fame). You want him around because you never know if he's going to say something hilariously inappropriate or give you ten thousand dollars for your birthday!

So there it is. All of these male characters make it the perfect set up for male viewers to side with Don Draper. Because of them, he is the tour de force of the show. If we had to choose being anyone it would be Don. He's the best looking, but not outrageously so, he's an asshole to the people he doesn't have time for and to idiots, he's in a position of power (so he's wanted by the women and envied by the men), and he's like the way you were in college in terms of women, the way you are not now, and will never be again.

So why do the women love him? Same reason. He's handsome, but not out of their league. He's the best of the boys, all of whom envy him, and he can be an asshole (and let's face it, some women just like an asshole sometimes). Oh, and the womanizer thing; not an obstacle because he shows just enough humanity and morality to make him susceptible to change --it's just a matter of the right woman coming along....