The Bechdel Test is a simple test that is used to scope out whether women are accurately represented in a movie. In order to pass the test the movie must have at least two [named] women in it who talk to each other about something besides a man. This sounds pretty simple, but amazingly many movies do not pass this test. Almost half of 2015’s top movies failed the Bechdel Test.
There are many who criticize the Bechdel Test by saying it is limited due to its simplicity, but what they don’t realize is that it is meant to be simple in nature, or they have very high expectations of a test that only has three conditions. The Bechdel Test is meant to be a quick way to check out the representation of women in a movie, not a rule. Do not write off a movie as anti-feminist before you see it because you will find that this test has a lot of wiggle room.
Some movies with iconic feminist friendly characters fail the Bechdel Test, my favorite example being the original "Star Wars" trilogy. Princess Leia is undoubtedly a strong female lead, but because she does not interact with other women, the original "Star Wars" trilogy fails. The Bechdel Test is not taking into consideration that the setting or the fact that her impact as a strong female lead is only reinforced by the fact she has two male counterparts. With this being said, was the original "Star Wars" trilogy feminist friendly? In my book, yes.
The Bechdel Test also doesn't take setting into consideration. If a movie takes place in an all-boys school, such as in "Dead Poet's Society," it cannot be expected to pass. This does not say anything about the movie because there was no place where women should have been involved but seemed to be excluded.
On the flip side there are many movies that pass the Bechdel Test that have absolutely nothing to do with women as the main character. A prime example would be "Boyhood." This movie passes the Bechdel Test while being entirely focused around the coming of age of a young boy. The Bechdel Test clearly does not work all of the time, but it sets a foundation to begin reviewing the movies we see. As long as we understand its limitations then we can use it properly.
The Bechdel Test, when used correctly, has revolutionized how we think about casting and screenwriting. There are now conscious moves being made to accurately represent women, and this has opened up a much-needed conversation. In order to represent women properly, we began thinking about the portrayal in terms of quality and quantity. We began to realize that not only were women under-represented, so were minorities. We have made leaps and bounds purely by just opening up the conversation. Don’t let the conversation end here.
