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Gender & Sexuality dictionary results for Bechdel test.

Bechdel test

American  

[bek-duhl test] / ˈbɛk dəl ˌtɛst /

Sometimes Bechdel-Wallace test

noun

1. a test of gender stereotyping and inequality in fiction, having a number of variations and used especially with movies, based on whether the work includes at least two fairly important female characters who talk to each other about something besides a man.

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Etymology

Origin of Bechdel test

First recorded in 2005–10; named after U.S. cartoonist Alison Bechdel (born 1960); first introduced as a nameless concept in a 1985 comic strip in Bechdel's series Dykes to Watch Out For (1983–2008), later credited to Bechdel's friend Liz Wallace

Example Sentences

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Bechdel test

"And it means we pass the Bechdel test," adds Barbé laughing.

From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2024

So nuanced are the depictions of lesbians, and women in general, that, in 1985, the comic gave rise to the Bechdel test, now a metric for measuring the representation of female characters onscreen.

From New York Times ● Jun. 22, 2023

But Prime Video's "Lord of the Rings" prequel would like to stand up to pass the Bechdel test, please.

From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2022

There should be a Bechdel test for news articles, to confirm that there isn’t a possibility that a large portion of the population is missing when writing about an issue.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 9, 2020

A Bechdel test for female body representation is clearly aspirational at this point.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2020