Do Your Favorite Movies Pass the Bechdel Test?

 

The Bechdel Test 

Have you ever heard of the Bechdel test?  It was first mentioned in 1985 by Alison Bechdel in her comic strip.  She credits her friend Liz Wallace and the writings of Virginia Woolf for the idea.  

 

It started as a joke in order to bring attention to the active presence (or lack thereof) of women in fiction.   

 

A work of fiction passes the test if it has: 

1. At least two women 
2. Who talk to each other 
3. About something other than men 

Limitations 

Pretty simple, right?  Well, if you think about it, it's amazing how many movies fail the test.  Even today.  Or, maybe it's not so surprising. 

 

Now to be fair, the Bechdel test, was never meant to be taken seriously as a measurement of how often women appear in a film and what they talk about.  Nor should it be used to tell us if a film is "good" or “bad” or even “feminist”.  

 

For example, "American Hustle" passes the test, even though it could be considered a sexist film.  While "Gravity", even though it has a female protagonist, fails. 

 

But whether it meant to or not, the Bechdel test has raised awareness regarding the lack of women in popular culture. And how we are conditioned to think that's okay.   

 

It has also inspired other tests, such as the Mako Mori test (female characters have their own narrative arc) and the Finkbeiner test (portrayal of women in science). 

 

Interestingly, films and books set in alternative or future worlds, such as fantasy and science fiction, are more likely to pass the Bechdel test.  This could be because these genres are more likely to avoid traditional gender roles and stereotypes. 

 

Examples 

The 5 minute YouTube video The Bechdel Test - Everything You Need To Know sums it all up nicely.  And provides some good examples of popular movies that pass and fail the Bechdel test.  

 

The Backstage article What Is the Bechdel Test?, also provides some fun examples below of movies that pass or fail the test. 

 

Movies That Fail 

• “Breakfast At Tiffany’s” (1961) 
• The entire “Lord of the Rings” trilogy (2001–2003) 
• “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” (2011) 
• “Zero Dark Thirty” (2012) 
• “The Avengers” (2012) 
• “Pacific Rim” (2013) 
• “Arrival” (2016) 

Movies That Pass 

• “Kill Bill” Volumes 1 and 2 (2003–2004) 
• “Frozen” (2013) 
• “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015) 
• “Hidden Figures” (2016) 
• “Wonder Woman” (2017) 
• “CODA” (2021) 

Unexpected Movies That Pass 

• “Weird Science” (1985) 
• “Goodfellas” (1990) 
• “Showgirls” (1995) 
• “American Pie 2” (2001) 
• “Twilight” (2008) 

Beyond Bechdel 

Some have taken the Bechdel test even further.  Ideally, women in fiction will also have names, and their conversations will last at least 60 seconds. Moving Beyond the Bechdel Test, the fiction work will also be able to answer “yes” to these more relevant questions: 

• Are the female characters central to the story? 
• Do the female characters have agency? (Independence) 
• Are the female characters multidimensional? 

Conclusion 

Continuing with the movie theme, the representation of women in film has progressed since 1985.  But there is still room for improvement.   

 

In 2023 women made up only 22% of all directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and cinematographers working on the top 250 grossing films.  And only 38% of major characters were female. (Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film)  

 

As women become more involved in the creative process, hopefully this will lead to more interesting and complex female characters in the future.  With compelling and relatable storylines. 

 

I admit, I love a good all-male action flick as much as the next person, even violent ones.  As long as it's good.  

 

But I enjoy it even more when there's at least one good female character.  One who isn’t in the cast just to support a man, or have sex with him, or be the token eye candy.  It just makes the movie more interesting and relatable to me.  (And could she just once be age appropriate?) 

 

I’m not alone.  According to data collected from Internet Movie Database on 155 Oscar-nominated films, female-led films are 33% more profitable than male-led films, when comparing US box office and production budget.  For every $1 invested into a film, on average you get back $2.12 for a female lead and $1.59 for a male lead. (Oscars 2018: Female-led Oscar films ‘more profitable’)  

 

And don't forget "Barbie".  The highest-grossing movie of 2023 ($1.44 billion) 

 

Do your favorite movies pass the Bechdel test? 

 

"And I tried to remember any case in the course of my reading where two women are represented as friends. ...They are now and then mothers and daughters.  But almost without exception they are shown in their relation to men." 

 

– Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own