The Bechdel Test, also known as the Bechdel-Wallace Test, is a test named after cartoonist Alison Bechdel used to determine how “feminist” or female-friendly a piece of media (can be a book or TV show, but is usually used to measure film) is. The films that don’t pass the test usually don’t portray women as strong female characters or will include sexist themes and motifs. To pass The Bechdel Test, a film must include three things: 1. At least two female characters who have been named (not just “screaming female #2). 2. Two females talking to each other. 3. The conversations between the women have to be able anything other than a man. It may seem like most movies would pass this test, but surprisingly, many don’t, even ones that feature strong main female characters. A lot of conversations in movies are about men, even accidentally.
College Humor did a video with the two main females in an office trying to talk about things that didn’t involved men, and they had a lot of trouble. You can’t talk about most politicians, a lot of celebrities, a lot of family members, things like that. Though most movies don’t pass the test, there are a lot of movies out there who BARELY pass The Bechdel Test from one tiny conversation between women. Here’s a list of movies that barely pass The Bechdel Test, ones which are technically feminist-leaning but only by a hair.
1. "Ferris Bueller’s Day Off"
2. "Guardians of the Galaxy"
3. "Scary Movie"
4. "Halloween"
5. "Amelie"
6. "Little Miss Sunshine"
7. "Spirited Away"
8. "The Exorcist"
9. "The Wizard of Oz"
10. "Pulp Fiction"
While these movies technically pass The Bechdel Test, look for movies to watch that have more than two women in them, who talk about their passions, religion, science, or something more than men, having babies, clothes, shoes, and jewelry.
