NEW YORK — A state lawmaker canceled an event for women to learn ‘‘posture, deportment, and the feminine presence’’ on Tuesday after critics charged he was out of touch with the lives of working women.

Senator Marty Golden’s website said women from his Brooklyn district would be taught to ‘‘sit, stand, and walk like a model’’ and how to ‘‘walk up and down a stair elegantly’’ at the July 24 event.

The online newspaper City & State reported on the planned event after a reader who had received Golden’s mailing passed it along.

‘‘Have we stumbled into an episode of ‘Mad Men’?’’ the newspaper asked, referring to the television show about 1960s advertising executives.

A spokesman for Golden, a Republican, told City & State that the goal of the event was to help young women land jobs.

But after critics including a Senate colleague questioned the event, Golden canceled it without explanation.

Earlier Tuesday, state Senator Liz Krueger, a Manhattan Democrat, said she sometimes feels as though she drives ‘‘three hours north and 50 years back in history’’ when she goes to the state capital, Albany.

‘‘Making sure that we walk correctly?’’ Krueger said. ‘‘If you’re a woman in the workforce, do you really think that this is an issue for 2012?’’