540 Appendix B Understanding Mass and Mediated Communication❶ Do you think that the
Bechdel test is a good
way of assessing gender
bias? What are its limits?
Which of the three ques-
tions do you think is the
most important?
❷ If you changed the
test to focus on other
populations—for example,
asking if there are at least
two characters of color
that talk to each other
about something other
than a white person—do
you think that fewer or
more films would pass?
➌ What does it say about
popular media that a set
of criteria presented in
an offbeat comic could
evolve into a test used by
scholars and critics alike?The Bechdel Test
Think of the last movie you saw. Now ask yourself three questions:- Does the film include at least two female characters that have names?
- Do these characters ever speak to each other?
- Do these characters ever speak to each other about anything other than
a man?
Chances are, the answer to at least one of these questions will be no. Way
back in 1985, cartoonist Allison Bechdel outlined the three preceding simple
rules for assessing gender bias (Ulaby, 2008). The “Bechdel Test” (or “Bechdel
Rule”), originally a joke in a panel of Bechdel’s comic “Dykes to Watch Out
For,” developed a life of its own, it seems, when people began to realize
just how few films were able to meet these three simple criteria. In the thirty
years since it was introduced, the Bechdel test has become a popular—albeit
not entirely scientific—lens through which to examine bias in film. It has been
embraced by feminist scholars, media critics, and most recently, a number
of Swedish cinemas that have incorporated the Bechdel test into their film
rating system (Associated Press, 2013).
The criteria outlined set a pretty low bar for the inclusion of women in
films, and yet a shocking number of popular and critically acclaimed films still
fail to clear it. Of the fifty highest-grossing films of 2013, for example, a mere
seventeen clearly passed the test; seven barely passed, and the rest failed
completely (Waldman, 2014). And of nine Academy Award nominees for best
picture in 2014, only three passed (American Hustle, Dallas Buyers Club, and
Philomena) (Dewey, 2014).
The Bechdel test was never intended to assess the quality of a film
or to critique the way films portray women. Many great movies featuring
strong female leads (like 2013’s Gravity or 1998’s Run Lola Run) fail the
test, while some with decidedly unfeminist messages manage to pass
(many a movie has been saved on the basis of a conversation about shoes
or hair). And, of course, some stories are simply not about women (the
plot, setting, and time frame of films like Twelve Angry Men or Saving Pri-
vate Ryan would not be expected to support a large female cast). But the
test does manage to shine a light on the fact that most Hollywood films
are produced primarily for and often centered on men and concerned with
male stories.
THINK
ABOUT
THISCOMMUNICATIONACROSSCULTURES
The Supreme Court has upheld the government’s expressed interest in pro-
tecting children from indecent content (Federal Communications Commission
v. Pacifica Foundation, 1978). However, the courts have also said that the ban
must be limited only to specific times of day (such as 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.) when
children are likely to be in the audience (Action for Children’s Television v. FCC,
1995). Remember that this ban does not apply to cable and satellite channels or
to the Internet—so MTV, Comedy Central, and YouTube, for example, could19_OHA_45766_App_B_530_556.indd 54019_OHA_45766_App_B_530_556.indd 540 13/10/14 5:39 PM13/10/14 5:39 PM