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

I propose that instead, we employ a version of the Bechdel Test asking whether two named, female characters in a movie ever discuss anything other than a man.

From Salon

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

From BBC

The book touches on the College of Charleston controversy surrounding Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home, but it for sure fails the Bechdel Test.

From Salon

Good feminists or adept film buffs may be familiar with the Bechdel Test, a metric for gauging female representation in film.

From Salon

Meier argued that the original Bechdel Test was created to illustrate how women are marginalized in movies, and was "fundamentally different" from a climate change test because of the divergent contexts.

From Salon