If you have never heard of the Bechdel Test, allow me to introduce a way of looking at movies that will certainly surprise you. The Bechdel Test is a concept that deals with the issue of positive female representation in films and can be applied to any movie that has ever been made.
The rules for the Bechdel Test are simple:
- The film must have at least 2 named women in it.
- These 2 or more women must talk to each other.
- Their conversation must be about something other than men.
Now, this set of rules seems basic enough. Certainly, the bar for success is set very low and can be achieved with very little effort. If all a movie needs is one conversation between women that isn’t about a man, pretty much every movie should pass, right? Surprisingly, this isn’t the case. Countless movies, including some of the most popular movies in history, don’t pass the Bechdel Test.
Within imdb.com’s list of the 250 top rated movies of all time lies countless classics of every genre. Of the first 75 films in this list, a shocking 60% fail the Bechdel Test. This 60% is composed of iconic movies such as The Godfather, The Matrix, multiple Star Wars films, and even The Lion King. These household favorites are some of the most popular movies of all time, yet they fail the most basic test of female representation in media.
To be clear, this is not to say that movies that fail the Bechdel Test are insensitive, bad, sexist, or should be condemned in any way. This test simply serves as a measure of female representation in movies. The fact is, strong female characters who exist for any reason other than to support, please, or benefit a man are scarce. Even the most recent movies are heavily male-centric. The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, Free Guy, Venom: Let There Be Carnage, and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It are all fairly popular movies that have been released in 2021 and fail the Bechdel Test.
It’s important to talk about why this matters. It’s easy to look at the statistics and think ‘Wow, that’s crazy’, and then move on with our lives. However, the issue of representation in the film industry has been a massive point of controversy since the beginning of the industry itself. While the Bechdel Test clearly shows a lack of female representation, it would be irresponsible to not mention all the other ways that movies fail to represent minorities. Black and Indigenous people of color (BIPOC), Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI), disabled people, the LGBTQ+ community, and almost any group that isn’t made up of straight, white men have faced a blatant lack of representation in film and media. When they are represented, it is often with harmful stereotypes that demean, fetishize, and otherwise negatively portray them. The Bechdel Test may only account for women in movies, but this issue of representation in media is not just an issue that women face. We must look more broadly, not at the underrepresentation of women, but the overrepresentation of straight, white men and the positions they fill where other voices could shine.
“Representation matters” is a phrase that has come up more and more over the last few years. Especially during movements like women’s marches, the Black Lives Matter movement and the Stop AAPI Hate movement, we have seen how important it is for people to feel seen and heard, especially when they have faced substantial discrimination. Movies are one of the most common ways of connecting, relating, and spending time with other people. As a society, we engage with and discuss films constantly. We obsess over different actors, directors, and movie franchises. Because of this, it is vital that everyone is able to see themselves positively portrayed in movies. If young girls only ever see movies where the female characters rely on men and are at the mercy of men, they will gain a perspective based on that.
If you want to know more about what movies pass the Bechdel Test, you can visit the website bechdeltest.com to see where your favorite films lie. I urge you to challenge yourself by finding films that include more diverse characters and protray all minorities in more accurate and positive ways. It’s time to take a look at how we consume media and for the film industry move past the stereotypes it has been perpetrating for years.