OPINION
In 1983 an American cartoonist called Alison Bechdel created a comic called ‘Dykes To Watch Out For’.
The comic was a way for Bechdel to talk about gender roles as well as being one of the earliest representations of lesbians in pop culture. It was also where the concept of the 'Bechdel Test' was born.
In 1985, in a comic strip called "The Rule", the Bechdel test made its first appearance.
In the comic, two women are about to go see a movie when one of them mentions that in order to see a film it has to satisfy three basic rules:
- At least two women are in it
- Who talk to each other
- About something besides a man
It was a simple enough concept but something about it stuck and thus, the Bechdel test was born.
Though her name is attributed to the test, Alison Bechdel likes to point out that the idea behind it came from her friend Liz Wallace, who mentioned the three rules when Bechdel was looking for ideas for her comic strip.
"I have to confess, I stole this whole thing from a friend of mine at the time because I didn't have an idea for my strip. My friend Liz Wallace ... said, "I'll only see a movie if it has at least two women in it who talk to each other about something besides a man," she said in an interview.
"People actually use it to analyze films to see whether or not they pass that test. Still ... surprisingly few films actually pass it."
Despite coming into existence over 35 years ago, and setting the lowest of bars for female representation in film, the sad part is that most movies today don't meet this very basic of criteria.
Despite coming into existence over 35 years ago, and setting the lowest of bars for female representation in film, the sad part is that most movies today don't meet this very basic of criteria.
In Helen O'Hara's book 'Women Vs. Hollywood', she mentions how 60 per cent of all Hollywood films fail the Bechdel test. O'Hara goes on to mention another it-would-be-funny-if-it-wasn't-true test called 'The Sexy Lamp' test.
"Could a female character be replaced by a sexy lamp (like the famous leg lamp in A Christmas Story) without significant impact to the plot?" she asks. The result sadly, she concludes, judging by a number of films, is yes.
While the Bechdel test has been around for sometime, it wasn't until the last decade that the test got some traction. These days however the test is seen as a basic benchmark for female representation in film and television.
This year, for example, the Australian Women’s Film Festival is set to make its debut and one of the conditions of entry is that the film must pass the Bechdel test.
However, the test isn't without its flaws. As some critics and analysts have pointed out, just because two women are in a scene and not talking about a man, it doesn't mean they aren't talking about something inane.
As playwright Samantha Ellis wrote in The Guardian: "The ridiculously retrograde Twilight, for example, passes (doormat heroine, Bella, talks briefly to her mother about moving to a new town) while Gravity, which has a fierce, clever and interesting heroine, fails."
The movie Die Hard 2 also passes (although dubiously). Fast & Furious 7: Furious 7 also passed despite presenting its female characters in a derogatory manner.
So if not the Bechdel test, then what?
A number of other ways to measure representation in films and television have been presented since the failings of the test became apparent.
The Bechdel test doesn't measure cultural diversity, or gender equality behind the screen or even how much agency a female character has within a film.
The 'DuVernay test' for example, was coined by New York Times film critic Manohla Dargis and named after the famed Black director Ava DuVernay. While Dargis didn't propose any specific measure for the DuVernay test, it aims to be the Bechdel equivalent for racial diversity in film and TV.
Then there were certain cinemas taking matters of representation into their own hands. In 2013 cinemas in Sweden introduced a new rating to highlight gender bias or lack of thereof. In the UK the Bath Film Festival came up with its own F-rating to sit alongside other classifications.
The F-rating was given to any film that had been written by a woman, directed by a woman or featuring "significant women on screen in their own right".
While none of these tests or classification systems have been adopted officially, it seems the one that currently holds the most weight is the Bechdel test. It is not perfect but it is a start.
The popularity of TV shows such as I May Destroy You, Killing Eve, and Unorthodox have highlighted that the future for female representation looks promising, at least on the small screen.
The more we see shows like the ones mentioned above, the less likely we will need tests that measure diversity and representation, as these will, hopefully, be the norm.
