The Bechdel Test: "Women In Movies"

The Bechdel Test is an examination of female presence in movies. It was popularized in 1985 by comic artist Alison Bechdel. She sets up three simple rules that a movie has to adhere to in order to pass the test. The rules are: (1) it has to have at least two women in it, who (2) who talk to each other, about (3) something besides a man. While the exam does not mean that a film is good or bad or even sexist, it just demonstrates how male-centric business in Hollywood and media can be. The test shows that masculinity is changing and that it is hard to remove it from long standing institutions.

Some classic movies that fail the test are The Shawshank Redemption, the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the original Star Wars trilogy. On the website BechdelTest.com, they have a graph testing films from the 1900s. As the past century progressed more and more films passed the test. However, even though it is better than the decades before, approximately 60 percent of the films in the last decade passed the exam by meeting all three criteria. Women might make up 50 percent of the population but they are vastly underrepresented in movies.

Some people claim that masculinity is under attack by encroaching feminism but the truth of the matter is that until women are equally represented with in all aspects of life, including movies, society will be orientated towards men. The only thing that can change that is men who choose to not react negatively to relinquishing power and influence to women. All that is required is a form of masculinity that also cares for feminism.