Bechdel test
The Bechdel Test is a measure used to assess the representation of women in films and television. It originated from a comic strip by Alison Bechdel in 1985, where the criteria for a film to be watchable included having at least two female characters who converse about something other than a man. Although initially intended as a humorous critique of the lack of substantive female roles in media, the Bechdel Test has been adopted by feminists and critics to evaluate films' feminist values. However, its effectiveness is debated; some argue that passing the test does not necessarily indicate a positive portrayal of women, while others note that many important films may not pass it but still contribute positively to women's narratives.
Critics highlight that the test sets a low bar for representation, and passing does not guarantee complexity or depth in female characters. Additionally, the test's binary nature may overlook films that center on male experiences yet still empower women. Bechdel herself has clarified that the test was meant as social commentary rather than a definitive standard. Despite its limitations, the Bechdel Test remains a useful starting point for discussions about gender representation in media, prompting viewers to consider broader criteria regarding women's roles both on-screen and behind the scenes.
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Bechdel test
The Bechdel Test is a way to help evaluate how a movie represents women. It originated from a comic created in 1985 by Alison Bechdel for her series Dykes to Watch Out For. In the strip, one of the characters says that she will not watch a movie unless it has three things. First, it must have at least two female characters. Second, those characters must have a conversation with each other. Third, that conversation must be about something other than a man. While the test was originally proposed as a joke to highlight just how few movies centered on the experiences and thoughts of women, feminists and other film critics latched onto it to evaluate how feminist movies and television shows were. However, it is also controversial, as many legitimate films do not pass the Bechdel Test, while others that do pass the test do not portray women accurately or positively.
Background
Alison Bechdel is a queer woman who is known for her comics and graphic memoirs. She began Dykes to Watch Out For in 1983 after having moved to New York City to go to art school. When her top school choices rejected her, she started working in publishing and began her comic strip. Over the years, the comic gave the public a new understanding of contemporary and urban lesbian life.
Bechdel originally created the Bechdel Test as a joke. Two lesbians want to see a movie, but one refuses to see anything that does not pass the test. They look at the movies available and end up going home because nothing will qualify. One mentions that the last movie she could see was Alien, because two women talked together about the monster. The strip was a piece of social commentary on how women were portrayed in Hollywood and how they were only rarely central characters who had interesting things to discuss with each other.
The test quickly became a popular way to evaluate a movie for feminist values. Saying that a movie passed the test became shorthand for saying that it supported a positive, empowering view of women. In the movie industry, making a movie that passed the test became a way to combat gender stereotypes. An entire website was ultimately dedicated to listing movies that pass the test.
Most of the time, evaluating a movie is straightforward. However, there is some controversy over whether certain movies pass the test. In some movies, for instance, two women discuss the actions of a man without talking about him directly. For some critics, this passes the Bechdel Test. For others, it does not.
Overview
The Bechdel Test allowed women to articulate their frustration with the way movies and TV shows were made. This frustration targeted casting choices, plot lines, and why many women felt the movie industry did not represent them accurately. However, the test has also attracted its share of criticism.
Evaluating the feminist or anti-feminist leanings of a movie goes beyond asking whether it passes a three-question test. For instance, a movie where two men discuss a woman or her work or plot line might have a more positive view of women than one where two women discuss a stereotypical female topic, like getting their nails done.
The Bechdel Test is also a fairly low bar for a movie to pass. It is easy for a movie to meet the qualifications of the test and still entirely miss the point in how it portrays women. In fact, passing the test has become more or less normal among movies made for a general audience in the United States. Critics who say this argue that filmmakers need to be held to an even higher standard.
Another criticism of the test is that it does not allow for films that focus on the lives of men. Many movies about gay men have few female characters but still manage to send a message that is empowering to women. These films might be dismissed based on the Bechdel Test, which would miss their overall contribution to a more positive and inclusive view of women.
Bechdel herself has emphasized that the test was offered as a joke and was never meant to be given any authority over which films were and were not worth watching. She has also said that some of her own favorite movies do not to pass the test. While she originally meant to offer only social commentary and highlight just how dismal the portrayal of women in film was, she never meant to create some sort of comprehensive criteria for evaluating the level of feminism present in any given piece.
Still, to many feminists, the Bechdel Test makes a good starting point for evaluating the view of women that is present in a movie. It is popular and so well known that it is often referred to or included in other media.
However, it may not be the ultimate qualifier among film critics for determining whether a movie truly has a positive view of women. Other criteria, like how many women were hired to work on the set and whether male and female talent were paid equally, may be just as important. In addition, many believe that it is time to accept that there is no single test to evaluate a film. Instead, each one must be taken in its entirety; and, even then, critics may disagree with each other.
Bibliography
Abdelfatah, Rund, and Ramtin Arablouei. “What is the Bechdel Test? A Shorthand for Measuring Representation in Movies.” NPR, 5 Apr. 2023, www.npr.org/2023/04/05/1168116147/what-is-the-bechdel-test-a-shorthand-for-measuring-representation-in-movies. Accessed 3 Feb. 2025.
Anderson, Hephzibah. “Alison Bechdel: ‘The Bechdel Test Was a Joke... I Didn’t Intend For It To Become a Real Gauge’.” The Guardian, 2 July 2023, www.theguardian.com/books/2023/jul/02/alison-bechdel-test-dykes-to-watch-out-for-cartoonist-interview. Accessed 12 July 2023.
Chira, Susan. “A New Rating for TV and Movies Tries to Combat Gender Stereotypes.” The New York Times, 20 June 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/06/20/arts/common-sense-media-ratings-gender.html. Accessed 3 Feb. 2025.
Hauser, Brooke. "Real Women Are Still Missing from the Movies—the Bechdel Test Proves It." The Boston Globe, 28 Mar. 2024, www.bostonglobe.com/2024/03/28/arts/films-fail-the-bechdel-test/. Accessed 3 Feb. 2025.
Horowitz, Catherine. “It’s Time to Ditch the Bechdel Test—Or at Least Take It Less Seriously.” Jewish Women’s Archive, 1 July 2022, jwa.org/blog/its-time-ditch-bechdel-test-or-least-take-it-less-seriously. Accessed 3 Feb. 2025.
“How Does the Bechdel Test Measure Up in Evaluating Film Representations of Women.” The Retriever: University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 19 Apr. 2021, retriever.umbc.edu/2021/04/54048/. Accessed 3 Feb. 2025.
Kravina, Carolina. “Is The Bechdel Test Still Relevant?” Raindance Film Festival, 25 July 2022, raindance.org/is-the-bechdel-test-still-relevant/. Accessed 3 Feb. 2025.
Longley, Liz. “B is for Bechdel Test.” The New York Times, 15 Feb. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/02/15/nyregion/b-is-for-bechdel-test.html. Accessed 3 Feb. 2025.
Seth, Radhika. “Why Are Films Failing The Bechdel Test When TV Has Progressed?” British Vogue, 15 July 2020, www.vogue.co.uk/arts-and-lifestyle/article/the-bechdel-test. Accessed 3 Feb. 2025.