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

"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

The younger crew use the Bechdel test to vet the work of their elders.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 20, 2022

But Rosin focused her Tweet on the film's lack of women characters and cited a long-standing measurement of women's roles in cinema: the Bechdel test.

From Salon • Jun. 8, 2022

On an art historical Bechdel test, this gallery would earn a very rare A.

From Washington Post • Jul. 15, 2021