The Bechdel test is designed to be a quick and easy way to assess how sexist a film is. You can find out how the test works and whether it delivers what it promises here.
Avatar, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Good Will Hunting or Forrest Gump are just a few of the world-famous film classics that are praised as cinematic works of art. In all of these films, however, female roles are played on sexist stereotypical manner shown or are completely underrepresented.
Do you also want to find out whether your favorite film secretly reproduces sexist narratives? Then you can use the Bechdel test. Which is not really surprising: many so-called film classics fail the sexism test.
Bechdel test: four simple questions
The Bechdel-Test In its original version, it consists of three questions:
- There is at least two female-read characters?
- Speak each other?
- Talk about something other than about a male-read figure?
In the modified version, a fourth question is added: If there are several female characters, do they all a name?
At first glance, these criteria seem easy to fulfill. However, numerous Films do not reach themt. This also applies to the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy, in which for the most part no female characters are seen. The first three Star Wars films, Dead Poets Society and Run Lola Run also fail the Bechdel test.
Examples of films that meet the criteria of the Bechdel test include Barbie, Poor Things, Dune, Dirty Dancing and Mean Girls. You can also find a large list of films and an assessment of whether they pass the test or not on BechdelTest.com
Also interesting: Sexism & Feminism: These 7 films & series you should know
Bechdel test: origin and meaning
The world-famous Lord of the Rings trilogy fails the Bechdel test.
(Photo: CC0 / Pixabay / paxillop)
The Bechdel test owes its name to the Comic-Autorin Alison BechdelShe designed the questions for her work “Dykes to Watch Out for,” in which one female character explains to another how she decides on the quality of a film.
Feminist film critics began to refer to the test more and more frequently, so that it became known to an ever-growing public. larger film institutions the Bechdel Test as Quality featureFor example, the European Film Fund Eurimages or the Swedish Film Institute.
Bechdel is resisting being called the sole originator of the sexism test. She would like the test to be called the “Bechdel-Wallace test” in the future, because Bechdel’s friend Liz Wallace had the original idea for the test’s questions.
Criticism: Are four questions enough?
The Bechdel test is a good first clueto assess how sexist a film is. Nevertheless, not all films can be considered non-sexist or even feminist if they meet the three or four criteria. For example, a film would pass the test if two female characters talked about household chores for two minutes.
In addition, the questions allow a certain Scope for interpretation On different portals you will find sometimes very different assessments as to whether a film passes the Bechdel test or not.
For a well-founded feminist critique of a film, further criteria are needed that take a closer look at the various characters, dialogues and dynamics.
By the way: It is not only in the film industry that there is (hidden) sexism and a feminist countermovement. For example, there is feminist literature, feminist fashion and feminist foreign policy.
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