Pop-Culture | Posted by Julie Z on 09/11/2010
Saturday Vids: The Bechdel Test
Here on the FBomb we talk a lot about pop-culture, including women and movies. The Bechdel Test addresses this very topic and is something every good teenage feminist should be informed about. Once you’re aware of the test – and actually use it to analyze films – it’s CRAZY how many movies are male-centric. Watch, learn and support women-centric films!
Thanks to Margaret W for the tip – and if anybody else has tips for Saturday Vids email fbombsubmissions@gmail.com =)
(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Read other posts about: feminist frequency, feminist movies, feminist videos, Satuday Vids, The Bechdel Test, women in film, women in movies
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Sonia L @ at 12:13 pm, September 11th, 2010
A shout-out to the lady who invented this (and who the test is named for): http://dykestowatchoutfor.com/blog
A @ at 2:04 pm, September 11th, 2010
That’s insane! Thanks for sharing it!
kanadra @ at 2:54 pm, September 11th, 2010
very interesting! thanks for the clip, julie, and to Sonia for the link.
Sophia @ at 5:14 pm, September 11th, 2010
I use this test in the books I write too.
O'Phylia @ at 5:38 pm, September 11th, 2010
The thing that gets me is that not only do the movies cater to men, they’re seen as “gender neutral,” as if men are the default while a movie directed towards women are strictly for women.
Zoe @ at 7:50 pm, September 11th, 2010
I’ve seen this video before and I love it. I’ve never analyzed the movies I’ve watched before in this manner and man, the results get depressing.
Mollie @ at 5:29 am, September 12th, 2010
Zoe, you’re right, they do get rather depressing. Since I found out about the Bechdel test I’ve thought about all the movies I’ve seen and well, yeah.
O’Phylia, you’re touching on an interesting point. I’ve noticed in my time movies featuring women as main characters are usually dismissed as “chick flicks” which really says a lot about the stigma towards women in our society. I think they did an article about that sort of thing on Jezebel awhile back.
Christina @ at 10:35 am, September 12th, 2010
I love her vids! I always look forward to them, it’s too bad they only come out about once a month.
Heather Aurelia @ at 10:54 am, September 12th, 2010
This is exactly why I hate movies! Never enough women!!!
Thank You Fbomb or how to be a Feminist Movie Critic « Witchy Feminist @ at 11:00 am, September 12th, 2010
[...] have done this even before I watch this! But I thought is was good to share. Check out The F Bomb, too for more [...]
Melissa Silverstein @ at 3:17 pm, September 12th, 2010
I also write about the Bechdel Test on Women & Hollywood. You can see the post here.
http://womenandhollywood.com/2010/06/04/screenwriter-john-august-ponders-the-bechdel-test/
Keep watching the site for announcements on The Athena Film Festival which I am producing. I am hoping to do a panel on the topic.
Emily @ at 12:50 am, September 16th, 2010
Fun fact: Wall-E does not pass the Bechdel test because a) the main characters are sexless and b) there’s no actual dialog between the main characters. When you think about it, it’s REALLY interesting to look at how we project gender onto the robots…
Fun Fact #2: Some “chick flicks” don’t pass the Bechdel Test, either.