The Bechdel test does have a point. Where are the women? In supporting roles. Just not superheroes. If we want movies that pass the Bechdel test, then we as a public must demand that they be made. This is where it becomes a circular argument, because these demands need to be made with our pocketbook. Boycott movies that don't have women! What? Um....no. Why? Because I'm not giving up my sci-fi movie watching. Because at their heart, they're good movies in the vein of the epics of yore. I offer up the timeless classic of Beowulf as not passing the Bechdel Test. Even in ancient times, our stories are comprised of gratuitous violence and no named women having a conversation about a topic other than a dude. Or in the Arthurian Legends, there's action and romance. Still doesn't pass the Bechdel test, but does have one selfish woman who wants two men. Something in our human natures, even in these old stories, wants to be entertained by the fictional possible while impossible in real life. In entertainment, we want to hear the juicy gossip that we don't give ourselves permission to indulge in with our neighbors and coworkers. We want to know that someone has power and control over the environment and will use violence to change society, protect our villages, or otherwise go on a crusade or quest. We want the story arc to know the fictional world is safe. Having a conversation between two named women in the middle of this would break the laws of storytelling, and also ruin the experience of the big budget box office smashes that I've come to adore. Is this to say that we should abandon the Bechdel test? No. Women should fight and be considered equals in society. Women should carry on and go about their business of making the world better for our daughters. But just leave my stories alone. Because I know they are fictional.
Friday, October 7, 2016
Thoughts on the Bechdel Test
What is the Bechdel Test? It is a simple feminist test to see if women are represented in movies. You can find a video that does a great job of explaining it here. The problem I have with this test it that it is aimed at movies and popular entertainment. I love X-Men, Star Trek, Star Wars, and just about anything sci-fi. To have two women in a story arc filled with digital magic and a story arc set around saving some sort of world or going on some sort of quest would destroy the whole movie. Women aren't necessarily represented in sci-fi. Is this an issue? Yes. Would having "Captain America: Civil War" be better if it passed the Bechdel test? Ummm. No. Why? Because I'm there to see a move about two bros battling it out over good and evil with lots of special effects thrown in.
The Bechdel test does have a point. Where are the women? In supporting roles. Just not superheroes. If we want movies that pass the Bechdel test, then we as a public must demand that they be made. This is where it becomes a circular argument, because these demands need to be made with our pocketbook. Boycott movies that don't have women! What? Um....no. Why? Because I'm not giving up my sci-fi movie watching. Because at their heart, they're good movies in the vein of the epics of yore. I offer up the timeless classic of Beowulf as not passing the Bechdel Test. Even in ancient times, our stories are comprised of gratuitous violence and no named women having a conversation about a topic other than a dude. Or in the Arthurian Legends, there's action and romance. Still doesn't pass the Bechdel test, but does have one selfish woman who wants two men. Something in our human natures, even in these old stories, wants to be entertained by the fictional possible while impossible in real life. In entertainment, we want to hear the juicy gossip that we don't give ourselves permission to indulge in with our neighbors and coworkers. We want to know that someone has power and control over the environment and will use violence to change society, protect our villages, or otherwise go on a crusade or quest. We want the story arc to know the fictional world is safe. Having a conversation between two named women in the middle of this would break the laws of storytelling, and also ruin the experience of the big budget box office smashes that I've come to adore. Is this to say that we should abandon the Bechdel test? No. Women should fight and be considered equals in society. Women should carry on and go about their business of making the world better for our daughters. But just leave my stories alone. Because I know they are fictional.
The Bechdel test does have a point. Where are the women? In supporting roles. Just not superheroes. If we want movies that pass the Bechdel test, then we as a public must demand that they be made. This is where it becomes a circular argument, because these demands need to be made with our pocketbook. Boycott movies that don't have women! What? Um....no. Why? Because I'm not giving up my sci-fi movie watching. Because at their heart, they're good movies in the vein of the epics of yore. I offer up the timeless classic of Beowulf as not passing the Bechdel Test. Even in ancient times, our stories are comprised of gratuitous violence and no named women having a conversation about a topic other than a dude. Or in the Arthurian Legends, there's action and romance. Still doesn't pass the Bechdel test, but does have one selfish woman who wants two men. Something in our human natures, even in these old stories, wants to be entertained by the fictional possible while impossible in real life. In entertainment, we want to hear the juicy gossip that we don't give ourselves permission to indulge in with our neighbors and coworkers. We want to know that someone has power and control over the environment and will use violence to change society, protect our villages, or otherwise go on a crusade or quest. We want the story arc to know the fictional world is safe. Having a conversation between two named women in the middle of this would break the laws of storytelling, and also ruin the experience of the big budget box office smashes that I've come to adore. Is this to say that we should abandon the Bechdel test? No. Women should fight and be considered equals in society. Women should carry on and go about their business of making the world better for our daughters. But just leave my stories alone. Because I know they are fictional.
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