The evolution of the film industry attributed to the general gender biases or inequalities which have facilitated to the rise of a criteria encompassing a standard which has to be followed by the contemporary films. The Bechdel test was originally conceived from the idea of the cartoonist Alison Bechdel through a comic strip ‘Dykes to watch out for’ which later evolved into the criteria for critical analysis. The contemporary movies mostly fail the test due to the lower proportion of the women the film industry.  It is applied to all forms of fiction to analyse the gender bias.

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As the film evolved, there was  a subsequent male dominance at the scale of two man for a women. This ratio raised the concern for the major audiences for the reconsideration of gender dominance and to promote a medium free of sexism. In the films, the women are stereotyped and are mostly potrayed as a ‘sex symbol’ and involved in twice as more sexual activity as that of men. With the decreasing number of female protagonists, the evolution of a standard was necessary.

 

From the comic stirp of Allison Bechdel, the unnamed female character expresses her opinion that she watches the movie only if the following obligations are achieved, such as

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• At least two women must be characterised in the movie

• The two women should talk to each other

• Their subject should be something other than that of a man.

 

With humble origins as a comic strip, the idea generated as a critical standard where the feminists judge the mainstream movies, books, journals etc. the credibility of the test is regarded as the standard to how women measure the profundity of the story and their involvement. 

The Bechdel test is conducted on the movies to figure out whether they have passed the three requirements. The website ‘bechdeltest.com’  is a database which  lists out the movies which have achieved or disregarded the requirements.  This data base classifies the movies which have failed the above mentioned obligations which are required to depict onscreen. It has also been found that the movies which have passed the test have considerably earned more profit that its counterparts . This has raised controversies among many but it proves that the audience accepts more realistic representation of the society in movies where a woman are portrayed as a character and not just as an ornament.

Criticisms

 

The sexist content in the movies still can exist with even while reaching the standards ensued and vice versa. This question the credibility of the test as the approach is shallower. According to the critics, the film cannot be purely judged by these three standards without looking into the subject profoundly.

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Film is one of the most influential and effective mediums exists and its portrayal is crucial and has to be carefully analysed before subjecting to the potential audience. Along with the numerous standards which exist today considering the movie portrayal, a feministic approach towards the portrayal of women in the films came into existent in the form of a strip comic and later evolved into a standard through which the film is evaluated. Effective demotion of sexism and gender bias is possible through Bechdel test. 

 

Reference

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• http://filmschoolrejects.com/features/10-famous-films-that-surprisingly-fail-the-bechdel-test.php

• http://www.upworthy.com/what-the-bechdel-test-is-and-why-every-movie-in-hollywood-needs-to-pass-it

• http://www.feministfrequency.com/2009/12/the-bechdel-test-for-women-in-movies/