The Bechdel Test

http://bechdeltest.com/

While surfing about on the internet one day I discovered something called the Bechdel test, which is a very interesting test that one may apply to any Hollywood movie. It simply has three qualifications that are listed as followed:

1. It has to have at least two women in it

2. Who talk to each other

3. About something besides a man

While this test doesn't actually indicate anything in particular like if it is sexist or not, it is still interesting to see how many modern films actually fail to pass this test. For instance, the very popular Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II failed to pass any qualification but the first. Surprisingly, the women in the movie don't ever talk to each other, with the exception of a few moments where one female character may say something to another female, but since every time this happens, the opposing female character doesn't actually respond or give a substantial answer, the community generally agrees that the only test that can be guaranteed as a "pass" is the first. Additionally, the critically-hailed film 50/50 manages to pass the first two tests, but fails on the third test since all of the female characters talk about is the protagonist, Adam. Although there are a lot of films that can fail this test and still have powerful and prominent female characters, this test still reveals how, on a large part, many films are male-centric and utilize women's roles as a background part to enhance the story of the male. While it may not be a conscious choice of the screenwriter, since there is after all, no qualifications they need to follow when creating a story, it is interesting to see how many films are actually very male-driven. I mean, this test doesn't ask for the women characters to be leads or to save the world or anything -- it only asks that two or more women talk about anything other than a man and surprisingly it fails way more often than expected! Overall this is a humorous test worth a look that can provide one with a lot of insight into the subconscious (or maybe even conscious) minds of those in the film industry.