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shingaIf you don't know, there is this thing called the Bechdel Test for movies (and TV and whatever else you want to apply it to). I love it. There are three rules.
1. There have to be two female characters.
2. Who talk to each other.
3. About something other than a man.
It's a good test. But let me rant for a little bit...
I have seen some really dumb fucking nitpicks with the Bechdel Test. The test is ONLY… ONLY… about the presence of female characters. Yet if a film passes it everyone wants to complain about it still not being feminist enough. No one said it was! Just that it passed that ONE test! And sometimes just barely! (ie the new Conan movie? Oddly enough, it passes due to one conversation… that’s it. That does not make the movie some sort of feminist staple)
And good lord some people really push the “conversation has to be about something other than a man” rule, too. They seem to think ANY conversation that might be vaguely related to the male gender means it doesn’t pass. I figured the nature of the test was about them discussing a specific male character.
Also I saw once some one saying fucking BRIDESMAIDS didn’t pass because all of their conversations (this isn’t true, btw) were about weddings and weddings are about men so it doesn’t pass. REALLY?! For starters, uh no. No it’s not. The groom is barely mentioned. Secondly, WHAT? WEDDINGS? WE CAN’T TALK ABOUT WEDDINGS? Also there are a ton of conversations in the movie that doesn’t involve the wedding.
But the
worst
THE. WORST.
Is the absolute steaming pile of bullshit people like to call “the Reverse Bechdel Test”
FUCK THAT.
"Well this movie passes the test but it doesn’t pass the reverse so it’s discriminating against male representation"
ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS
ARE YOU FUCKING WITH ME RIGHT NOW
WE DO NOT NEED A REVERSE BECHDEL TEST
WE HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO FUCKING PROBLEMS WITH MALE REPRESENTATION IN HOLLYWOOD
ONE OR TWO MOVIES NOT HAVING A MALE PRESENCE IS NOT A “PROBLEM”
AAAAUUUUGGGGHHH
*breathe*
Wow. This… post got wordy. I have strong Bechdel Test feelings. I love the test and I keep it in mind all the time. It does not make me either love or hate a movie, it’s just something I always keep in mind because I find it interesting. I love a ton of movies that don’t pass, and hate some that do. It has nothing to do with how WELL the characters are written.
Also unrelated but I think there should be another test, too. Same rules, but with POC. Two or more POC characters, who talk to each other, and not about a white character. I’ve kept an eye on this one too and far more movies pass the Bechdel than this one, which is saying something.
Okay shutting up now. xD
1. There have to be two female characters.
2. Who talk to each other.
3. About something other than a man.
It's a good test. But let me rant for a little bit...
I have seen some really dumb fucking nitpicks with the Bechdel Test. The test is ONLY… ONLY… about the presence of female characters. Yet if a film passes it everyone wants to complain about it still not being feminist enough. No one said it was! Just that it passed that ONE test! And sometimes just barely! (ie the new Conan movie? Oddly enough, it passes due to one conversation… that’s it. That does not make the movie some sort of feminist staple)
And good lord some people really push the “conversation has to be about something other than a man” rule, too. They seem to think ANY conversation that might be vaguely related to the male gender means it doesn’t pass. I figured the nature of the test was about them discussing a specific male character.
Also I saw once some one saying fucking BRIDESMAIDS didn’t pass because all of their conversations (this isn’t true, btw) were about weddings and weddings are about men so it doesn’t pass. REALLY?! For starters, uh no. No it’s not. The groom is barely mentioned. Secondly, WHAT? WEDDINGS? WE CAN’T TALK ABOUT WEDDINGS? Also there are a ton of conversations in the movie that doesn’t involve the wedding.
But the
worst
THE. WORST.
Is the absolute steaming pile of bullshit people like to call “the Reverse Bechdel Test”
FUCK THAT.
"Well this movie passes the test but it doesn’t pass the reverse so it’s discriminating against male representation"
ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS
ARE YOU FUCKING WITH ME RIGHT NOW
WE DO NOT NEED A REVERSE BECHDEL TEST
WE HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO FUCKING PROBLEMS WITH MALE REPRESENTATION IN HOLLYWOOD
ONE OR TWO MOVIES NOT HAVING A MALE PRESENCE IS NOT A “PROBLEM”
AAAAUUUUGGGGHHH
*breathe*
Wow. This… post got wordy. I have strong Bechdel Test feelings. I love the test and I keep it in mind all the time. It does not make me either love or hate a movie, it’s just something I always keep in mind because I find it interesting. I love a ton of movies that don’t pass, and hate some that do. It has nothing to do with how WELL the characters are written.
Also unrelated but I think there should be another test, too. Same rules, but with POC. Two or more POC characters, who talk to each other, and not about a white character. I’ve kept an eye on this one too and far more movies pass the Bechdel than this one, which is saying something.
Okay shutting up now. xD