The Harry Potter film franchise changed my life. I'm no different than any other normal human being who began reading these books in middle school and eagerly attended the midnight premiers for the films. At thirteen years old, my only critical thoughts about the films were why there were no Americans in the movies and why Hermione's Yule Ball dress was blue in the books and purple in the film, I mean was it so hard to follow the books?! Regardless, that look when everyone realized Viktor Krum's Yule Ball date was Hermione, priceless.
There is something that my now college-aged critical mind has learned about the Harry Potter films which has forever ruined them for me. The Harry Potter film franchise has failed The Bechdel Test, along with half of all the movies ever made. Wait, slow down. What exactly is The Bechdel Test and why has it just ruined movies for me forever?
Well, The Bechdel Test was developed by Alison Bechdel in 1985. For a movie to pass The Bechdel Test, it must contain just one thing, a scene in which two or more named female characters have a conversation pertaining to anything at all besides men. Anything, even if it’s super stereotypical like dialogue about shopping, slumber parties, and makeovers. This dialogue "should" last over sixty seconds. But lets be honest, shouldn't it anyways?
So how could Harry Potter possibly fail this test? J.K Rowling is a woman after all and she wrote the damn books, right? And Hermione Granger was the smartest, most powerful witch in the entire film series--rumor has it Draco Malfoy still wets his bed from nightmares about Hermione. Ginny Weasley was courageous and badass. The Battle at Hogwarts would've been a massacre if it wasn't for Professor McGonagall and Mrs. Weasley. Not to mention kick-a** female characters both evil and good like Luna Lovegood, Cho Chang, Narcissa Malfoy, and Bellatrix Lestrange. Independently, these female characters changed Harry's life and the whole course of the series.
But wait, am I going crazy, or are there almost no scenes between these women that pass The Bechdel Test?
Think about it. Is there one scene in which you can recall two of these women speaking to each other about anything other than boys? The only moment that might come to mind is the brief exchange between Narcissa and Belatrix discussing Draco in "The Half-Blood Prince". Aside from this one dialogue, throughout the eight films there is no conversation lasting over one minute discussing anything but men between two female characters. Blimey! Imagine if the films included scenes of dialogue between Hermione and Ginny, or Ginny and Mrs. Weasley. Gryffindor Quidditch captain Angelina Johnson and Ginny, or Angelina and her friend Katie Bell. And what about Padma and Parvati Patil! It would've been awesome to watch Hermione and Professor McGonagall discuss Hermione's desire to take extra classes by using a time-turner. And to watch more scenes like, "I've always wanted to use that spell!" spoken between Mrs. Weasley and Professor McGonagall. Come on Harry Potter directors, was it so hard?
Harry Potter isn't the only famous film that has failed The Bechdel Test. Here is a list of other movies that shockingly have failed:
1. The ENTIRE "Lord of the Rings" Trilogy
2. "(500) Days of Summer"
3. "Breakfast at Tiffany's"
4. "The Little Mermaid"
5. "Avatar"
How hard is it really to add dialogue between female characters to movies? Why is this even an issue that needs to be raised? It is critical that young men and women watch films that not only contain strong female characters, but also watch them interact. I find that television does a much better job at this. Shows like "Scandal", "Game of Thrones", and "Orange is The New Black" succeed at portraying women how they ought to be seen, interacting with each other! No offense to one of my favorite all-time films, "Clueless", but women are much more than just empty-headed sexual objects and shopaholics.
This issue goes beyond The Bechdel Test and the underrepresentation of women in films; in parts of the world were women are sexualized, exploited, and forced to act as second-rate citizens, it is crucial that Hollywood films explore femininity beyond chick flicks. When women get together, the result is magic. Problems get solved, humor is shared, and bad-a** scenes like the end of Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood" music video are made.
Since discovering The Bechdel Test I am able to critically watch films without being brainwashed to believe that no more than one overly-sexualized woman played a part in the lead character's development. Hollywood is known for making the an unreal reality, but if you actually believe we live in a world where women don't talk about anything but men to one another, Hermione would probably say to you, "You! You foul, loathsome, evil little cockroach!"
