Secretaries On Screen: Secretly The Most Important Person In The Office | Trope Explained

Secretaries keep the company running, know everything about everyone, and are often severely underappreciated. Nowadays, there are a number of different positions that fall into this trope - secretaries, personal assistants, receptionists, executive assistants, and beyond - but they all share some important qualities, and have to suffer through many of the same problems. Though these jobs are integral to keeping their companies running, they very seldom get much recognition for all of the work they do. So let’s take a deeper look at the various representations of the secretary on screen - from Mad Men's Joan to The Office's Pam to Veep's Sue to Suit's Donna to 9 to 5's Doralee and beyond - what she really represents, and why she deserves respect.
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CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:44 The Sexy Secretary Trope
01:59 The Plucky Office Girl Trope
03:03 The Ditzy Secretary Trope
04:06 The Male Secretary Trope
04:51 The Long-term Loyal Secretary
05:47 The "Secretary Fantasy" vs Real Life
08:05 All women being seen as secretaries, regardless of role
09:21 Modern secretary stories changing the narrative
10:26 Mad Men's Joan & Peggy
11:04 The Office's Pam
11:45 Succession's Jess
12:28 Parks and Recreation's April
13:23 Veep's Sue
14:09 AI Secretaries?
15:24 It's time to show secretaries the respect they deserve
The Take was created by Debra Minoff & Susannah McCullough
This video was produced/written by Jessica Babineaux, narrated by Charly Bivona, and edited by John Tod

[@thetake]

Thanks so much for watching! Next up, check out our recent video on tragedy of the Untouchable Girl Trope: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z3vNnYCmrJmFf7s

[@zacazzz]

but where is Maggie Gyllenhaal

[@joanjones6882]

Fembot video pleeeeeeease

[@theinternetisnotreal1]

Secretaries and personal assistants are the nurses of the corporate world.

[@thomaslyons441]

That is an excellent analogy.

[@Angels8Harmony]

As a manager in corporate who works for UPS, I can sincerely say this is the god truth!

[@trinaq]

The 80's Twilight Zone has an episode where a downtrodden Secretary ends up in a parallel universe where secretaries are treated akin to models, and everyone is impressed when she admits that she's one. It's a nice subversion of the usual clichés, and she's able to cultivate her own happy ending.

[@Walls2008]

Via the magic Photocopier!!

[@britneydaniels6294]

I loved that one

[@katherinealvarez9216]

I was thinking about that episode!

[@SS-mk2yp]

I'm the administrator/secretary/receptionist/janitor/repairman/therapist/solver of everyone's problems at my office. Most days, it feels like I'm a single mom to 20 adults who can't do damn thing for themselves 🙄

[@tomoegozen2302]

I find it always amusing when women (Yes, most of the time it’s women) complain about how they have to take care of people all the time in a job like this, for people who are not self-dependent enough like your colleagues. Just a reminder: You wouldn’t be doing this job then if you don’t like the idea of being needed and in charge of things. Just be aware if you’re the mommy in the office the kids won’t ever be self-dependent. So, it’s more a teamwork in your case.

[@SS-mk2yp]

@tomoegozen2302 That's a bit of a stretch to a pile of bullshit, but you do you.

[@sammyvictors2603]

God Bless you for your strength. Those 20 adults don't deserve you.

[@fortune_roses]

Also when you're the *only woman* in a team of men... you become the Hermione or *"serious mom"* of the group... which can become exhausting af

[@ayameisastar]

Oh god. My friend was #9 at a tech startup and when they finally hired a secretary/receptionist, she was an older woman who was basically just there to be mom to a bunch of 25 year old toddlers. She’d go in on Monday and there’d be chaos and mess from a whole weekend of drinking, gaming and coding

[@macyelledge8864]

I loved how in Suits, Donna was not only always the one keeping the firm together, but other characters actually acknowledged it, and when they didn't give her the respect she knew she deserved, she fought back. Plus, she worked her way up and earned the position of COO.

[@vbrown6445]

I didn't see the show, but COO is really the appropriate role for so many of the senior secretaries/executive assistants I have seen in my lifetime. It's not just the office that would fall apart without them, but the company itself.

[@adalovelace521]

Sue of veep is the coldest, most savage and the best secretary

[@Rs-rq9fd]

As an office manager, she’s my role model

[@gabrielle6415]

“Sue, did the president call?” “…no.”

[@janehargrove3651]

as a secretary myself I love the fact that you made this video 😂

[@burvjuzizlis22]

Haha,me too, I met my boyfriend being a secretary and he was sales manager.😂Definitely was into a trope.

[@ThatsSo369]

Admin assistant. Every single one of these issues happened this morning

[@PrettyPrincess9609]

I use to work as an Administrative Assistant a couple of years ago and all of these problems I experienced myself. Unfortunately, I also experienced racism as well when I use to work in the office. It really sucks to not be respected even when you exceed expectations, be berated and treated like your nothing, be harassed by jealous coworkers who will do anything to get the promotion, passed up for promotions despite being one of the top performers, cursed out by customers over company policies that you didn’t create, and deal with racism from customers. I’m just glad I work from home now and I’m working in a different field that doesn’t involve me being on the phone. I feel more appreciated now and I’m finally rewarded for my hard work. I will never go back to the office and customer service ever again.

[@rush8280]

Glad to hear you’ve gotten out! Where do you work now?

[@laffingist218]

most bosses do like 3 things a day that take forever and 2.5 go nowhere

[@Hallows4]

Etta Candy was a great subversion of this trope. She had some of the classic signifiers, but really stood in her own right, despite her limited screen time.

[@cynthiaschultheis1660]

Phone operators, men, got drunk at lunch, and were rude to callers, fired often. So women were brought into operator jobs.

[@cynthiaschultheis1660]

MAD MEN reminded me of my dad, always wore a suit to work. And my mom was in a stamp pool early in her CPA career. I've worked in many offices for varied companies. Retired as Asst. Director of Multicultural Center for 23 years. Yes, we KNEW everyrhing!!!!🤐🤐🤐🤐

[@PokhrajRoy.]

I always thought I had the skills of an assistant and a secretary and it’s always the aesthetic and idea of working at an office that attracts me.

[@Giftedgurl100]

I completely understand how you feel! I've had that same attraction.

[@DaddyOfTheSugarVariety]

My favorite TV secretaries/assistance/ go-fers: Miss Hathaway - The Beverly Hillbillies, Janine Melnitz - The Real Ghostbusters, Jennifer Marlowe - WKRP in Cincinnati, Crystal Smith - Dead Like Me, Scooter - The Muppet Show.

[@andreabanuelosavila2317]

This video reminded me that my grandma told me she used to be a secretary in her youth, she even studied for that.

[@thefriesofLockeLamora]

I worked as a secretary for a little over a year and people who do that job deserve the world

[@jongrover8763]

Alexander Hamilton was George Washington's secretary.

[@V_4_Versace]

Huh I was never interested in watching Veep, but learning about the secretary character just made me want to give it a watch!

[@ButterflyBandit88]

I read an Australian ABC article on a woman transitioning to a man. They said they no longer got asked to do 'admin' work, like take notes, or organise lunch, or get coffees for everyone. It was a really eye opening article on unconcious gender roles in the workplace

[@prestely]

In Veep, Gary could also be considered the other half, the "waiter" side to the secretary. It's interesting in the show that the job was Split in two, Sue for the administrative tasks and Gary for the personal assistant, and that the gendered roles were swapped, Sue being more assertive and Gary more nurturing.

[@clickchick760]

Darn, this hit hard. As an executive assistant, all of these aspects have come up at one point or another.

[@binarystar300]

I'd love to see a show with Peggy and Joan from Mad Men working with April Ludgate from Parks and Rec. Joan: "April, where is Mr. Draper?" April: "He said he 'went out', so he's probably asleep in bed with someone at a whore house"

[@synthiasparkle6482]

That reminds me that a lot of shows with "great lead male characters" are guys who we "forgive" for cheating on their wives. Note that these men are also fathers: It happens in Mad Men, The Sopranos, and even in a show like Pose, Evan Peter's character Stan cheats on his wife and children. They're never called out for it- at least in the beginning- definitely not by their other male peers. Women keep hushed about it. Even in a world like Crazy Rich Asians and real life, secretaries are supposed to help men pick out jewelry for their mistresses. This doesn't mean we should show more women having affairs. I get that it's drama, but it makes characters irredeemable when they do things like this- it's immoral. This is seen in Wolf of Wall Street too- even when he leaves his wife for the new woman, he ends up treating Margo Robbie's character like a trashy object/degradable trophy wife. And when the time comes, these "men" will dispose her too for a younger, more naive woman in her steed. Sorry for the rant! Note to The Take: if you're reading this definitely make this a video topic "The Disposal Family: How he gets away with having an affair"

[@angelicasmodel]

And Joan would then give a very polite, but very pointed dressing down!

[@jordanloux3883]

I feel like more time should have been given to Moneypenny. Sure she was mostly there for Bond to flirt with, but she was also the only person in MI6 that served as his anchor to the real world.

[@helenmarie1082]

Never watched ‘Madmen’, but having seen clips of Joan on KZbin, she’s such a badass.

[@Evamarie41]

Hello. Thank you for this video and for calling them "secretaries". Secretary is not an offensive or insulting word. It's my job. It's an important job and can be difficult. Also, anyone who thinks that we can be completely replaced by an AI thing, does not understand our job in the slightest.

[@Evamarie41]

also we definitely get asked to do admin work. Even in jobs where we aren't the secretary.

[@felimillo]

I think it would have been cool to have Gina from Brooklyn 99 as well, since her character is out of trope from most of the ones described here

[@HomeyPups]

This is literally my life. Like right now. 20+ years as an EA and im constantly stuck in the waitress/mom role. No matter how hard ive worked, i cant get out of the pink ghetto.

[@Walls2008]

HUGELY wonderful video. Well done!

[@Sokew86]

I used to be the second type of secretary. After seven months I say goodbye everyone I have found a new job! They were all shocked that a person with a master degree want an job in their field 😂

[@WillJBailey]

I used to be a secretary and PA, and in all my years I never came across another male one. It always struck me as deeply weird. One time I was speaking to a client on the phone, they said “oh this is no good, I need skirt. Get me a skirt!” 😱

[@PokhrajRoy.]

3:50 ‘Doc Martin’ had a lot of these.

[@debbiemoore2747]

NHS secretary here. My takeaway is brits are lonely and the entitlement to trauma dump us is frankly exhausting. Patients definately blur lines but sadly management who DONT deal with patients are very against having boundaries!

[@angelicasmodel]

I used to be an EA, and really enjoyed it, so i appreciated this video. One on screen secretary i simultaneously love and loath is Elaine from Ally McBeal. I love her because she enjoys her job, but also uses the less stressful workload to do meaningful activities outside of work. On the other hand, she always sneaking around and spying on people. This is supposed to be so she knows what's going on. The reality is that secretaries know what's going on is because people tell them. We also sit in meetings precisely so we know what's going on. We also take messages, open letters, and file documents with important info. It's disappointing that the show felt the need to ignore Elaine's presence in the work, and treat it as an annoyance. Another representation is Thoroughly Modern Millie. She is very skilled at her job, but she's only interested in finding a boss to eventually marry. I'd be interested in an AI video please. My opinion on how AI will change the role of a secretary is that it will be similar to the shift in the role due to PCs. Once workers could type their own letters, there was less of a need for typists. There were fewer admins in the office, but they took on greater responsibilities. I would be in charge of preparing different reports, and taking on minor projects.

[@missherjh]

Sue standing out in this video proving once again she’s one of the stronger comedic characters of all time 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@zypher1990]

Maya Wilkes and Sinclair James would like a word.

[@haleykornfield698]

I feel like Donna Moss from TWW is the Sexy Secretary (and its subversion), the Plucky Secretary, the Ditz, and the Loyal Secretary. I wonder if she wasn’t featured because she’s not in a box.

[@malyciousapple]

I tend to go back and forth on whether I appreciate the very even tones in these videos, even when discussing really upsetting tropes and stereotypes, but I gotta admit the *very audible* frustration and disdain in this one was was hilariously

[@amylouise9853]

I’m an EA and I think being a mother is the closest analogy to it. The biggest challenge really is the lack of possible career progression, there isn’t much of a ladder to climb.

[@SunShine-qk4rb]

Great episode.

[@yungsolopath2603]

Carol burnett's Mrs.Wiggins is the best portrayal.

[@Lena-oi1ye]

ahh, i wish this had included maggie gyllenhaal's character in "Secretary" (2002) and brooklyn 99's gina linetti 💔

[@christinecremen4151]

So do I !

[@AI-dp3rd]

I was so disappointed Maggie Gyllenhaal's character (Lee?) wasn't in the thumbnail!!

[@georgeprchal3924]

The vague flirting between Kent and Sue is some of the best in TV.

[@PokhrajRoy.]

2:04 BETTY SUAREZ THE ICON THAT YOU ARE ❤ (We had Jassi in Hindi television)

[@Forceprincess]

I remember (when I was a kid) Lani Andersons character from wkrp in Cincinnati. Also, this video needed to address gina linetti from Brooklyn 99. Like you brought up every other micheal shur show but that one 😂

[@Clarke.Beatriz.Griffin]

❤❤❤ I love it! 💕

[@TrulyMademoizelle]

Heavy on the "mother and a waitress".

[@butcher_banana3745]

And even if I like The Intern movie Robert de Niro is a dad and a therapist

[@tygressblade]

AI has been a catch all. But let’s be honest, programmers can’t program common sense into a computer program because they don’t have it initially.

[@currentlywatchingrandomvid5650]

Okay now I get it the sketch from SNL

[@cynthiaschultheis1660]

If I had a dollar for every inappropriate words or actions by men thru my "secretarial, assistant, grad asst., office manager jobs" I'd be a very rich woman!!!!🤑🤑🤑🤑

[@kge6492]

Its a ity you didnt use a ditzy secratary from Ridle High with the cymbals

[@MyJwiz]

Excellent 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@PokhrajRoy.]

4:27 These type of narrations are my favourite haha

[@CaregivingVlogs]

Please make a AI worker video.

[@cartomancycarmen]

Fawn Hall 😩

[@feliciabaxter6423]

YOU FORGOT JANINE!!!

[@cynthiaschultheis1660]

"THE V.I.P.S" FILM, MAGGIE SMITH PLAYS A PRIVATE SECRETARY TO ROD TAYLOR, AND IN LOVECWITH HIM. ITS HEARTBREAKING!😪😪😪

[@kaitlyn__L]

PLEASE do a fembot slash sexualised doll analysis video. I love your intersectional and woman-focused analyses!! 😊

[@Oliver401]

I love how disapears in later seasons because she is too competent to work for Selena Meyers

[@williamalfonso1373]

If I recall, the New Administration kept her and let everyone else go.

[@quietstorm7684]

I would like to see the AI video.

[@amyzing4344]

Take staff, how dare you completely ignore the queen of secretaries, Elaine Vassal from Ally McBeal? The woman was so good at her job she spent most of her time inventing gadgets and gossiping in the unisex bathroom. For shame Take team, for shame!

[@seebothways9630]

What would you think if employers started only hiring men as secretarys to avoid the hole story of appreciate secretary

[@tonyc8752]

Only on TV are they important. In real life, not so much

[@ChutneyRomero]

Yes, make an AI video please! Thank you.

[@adiksaff]

Any Kdrama fans out there? What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim” ring any bells?

[@Zappas77Princess]

Yes please a vid on AI/fembots/ rise of, would be interesting.

[@lucbauer]

Pam lost her charisma when stopped being the receptionist. Some characters are born to fit into a role.

[@thomaslyons441]

So, what category of secretary is the main character of "Secretary"?

[@whatsup3519]

Se xy sports reporter what is ur take on that?

[@hinkhall5291]

*Joan had some huge knockers too.*

[@jadziawynter9241]

First! 🥇☝🏾

[@seebothways9630]

Wonder if children were ever secretaries

[@paisan8766]

3rd wave whining

[@seebothways9630]

Women are empowered and freed after divorce until the man dies on the street and theres no more alimony. .because of how horrible the man was and men are broken because of the great women was he didn't appreciate. Not anything systemically mebt prevent maj moving on. But same research shows when the Wife comes down with terminal illnesses. They feel freed as they only stayed in marriage out of legal obligation

[@seebothways9630]

When workers ask for fare pay they mean unfair pay in their favor

[@eliadavis3881]

I was a secretary for a university for 4 years and watching this made me realize, how Pam from The Office and the Plucky office girl, resonated with me while working the position and how invisible 🫥 you can feel most of the time. There were most times than not. That your weren’t really acknowledged by the office. 😑