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The Bechdel Test or the Mo Movie Measure
is a type of litmus test to assess the
presence of women in movies
It originated from Allison Bechdel’s comic
“*** to Watch Out For” in 1985
Here’s how it works, a movie just has to
pass these three simple questions
the first are there two or more women in it
who have names
the second do they talk to each other
and the third, do they talk to each other
about something other then a man
It’s quite extraordinary actually how many
movies don’t pass this test cause it’s not
even a sign of whether it's a feminist movie
or whether it's a good movie just that there is
female presence in it and that they actually
are engaging about things other then men
To prove that this is actually a systemic
problem and not just a few movies here and
there I can show you a couple films that
don’t pass the test
♪ instrumental music ♪
Okay you get the point
this is only just a few films out of the many
films that don’t pass this test
When I call it a systemic problem what I
mean by this is that it’s not just a few people
here and there that don’t like women or
don’t want women’s stories told but that
rather the entire industry is built upon
creating films and movies that cater to
and that are about men
Next time you go to the movies just ask
yourself these few questions. Are there two
or more women in it and do they have
names? Do they talk to each other?
And do they talk to each other about
something other then a man?