by Melanie Copeland

The Bechdel Test measures women’s relevance to a plot and determines female presence in Hollywood. In order for a movie to pass the Bechdel test it only needs to meet three simple requirements:

1. The movie needs to have at least two or more women in it
2. They must have names
3. They have to talk to each other about something other than a man

Simple right? What is funny about this test is that most of the award-winning movies fail the Bechdel test. Many of the movies are very good movies that I have watched and enjoyed, but like the speaker says in the video, “The test is best when used as a tool to evaluate Hollywood as an institution.” The test is used to reveal a problem in Hollywood.

I never once questioned the lack of woman relevancy in movie plots as a frequent movie goer. I think that I always accepted things as they were. It makes me think about how much of a patriarchal world we live in. I hope one day that this problem changes in Hollywood but it won’t until the leaders of the dominant companies become more diverse.

Another thing interesting about the test is that it can be adapted to show the lack of relevance of other oppressed groups like African Americans. Just change the requirements to this:

1. The Movie needs to have at least two or more African Americans in it
2. They must have names
3. They must talk to each other about something other than a white person

Let’s see how many movies fail this test.

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world” –Mahatma Ghandi

#embracediversity