[ SECRET POST #2888 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2888 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 03 pages, 060 secrets from Secret Submission Post #413.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 1 (rape) - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

Re: Alternative to the Bechdel Test?

[anonymous4]

Can you explain why applying it to a bunch of movies makes it any more valuable than applying it to one movie? Because it's still testing the same thing(s). What am I not understanding?

[I write mystery stories in which female characters investigate, fight, make tough decisions, and interact with male characters as equals, but I seldom write scenes were two women talk to each other, and if they do, it will be about the case, so it will probably involve talking about men. I've always felt the Bechdel test was a blunt instrument.]

Re: Alternative to the Bechdel Test?

[aboutelle]

Because it shows that women's roles in movies revolve around men in a way that men's roles don't revolve around women.

Around 57% of 5615 movies on bechdeltest.com pass the bechdel test. That obvs means 43% fail one or more criteria. Now try to think of a movie that fails the reverse bechdel test. A movie that doesn't have two or more named male characters that talk to each other about something else than a women. There certainly are some, if you look at romcoms you might even find plenty, but it's certainly not nearly half of mainstream movies.

Re: Alternative to the Bechdel Test?

[anonymous4]

Because it shows that women's roles in movies revolve around men in a way that men's roles don't revolve around women.

OK. So, at its very best, all it's actually doing is providing consistency in sampling by telling us what to sample?

I'm actually surprised that as many as 57% pass. I just hope the ones that do pass aren't passing because the women are discussing washing powder.

Re: Alternative to the Bechdel Test?

[aboutelle]

Yes, exactly. That wasn't even the original purpose though. It originated as a joke in a comic and people took it and made it the test it is today.

Also many movies that do pass, pass on a technicality indeed. There have been proposals to amend the test with a rule that the conversation has to last for more than 2 sentences to count.

But the thing to take away here really isn't "the Bechdel Test" is the instrument to accurately measure female representation. The "joke" of the original comic was basically just the realization how many movies fail to fulfill these very basic requirements. I think since the rule became more widely known the percentage of movies that pass has increased but that doesn't mean that the industry has become more feminist.

If you write complex female characters the likelihood of passing the bechdel test increases but your work doesn't immediately become sexist if it fails the bechdel test.

Re: Alternative to the Bechdel Test?

[insanenoodlyguy]

I already posted above before I saw this, but this.

Re: Alternative to the Bechdel Test?

[anonymous4]

No, that's exactly what I've always thought the Bechdel test was -- it was just seeing people treating it as a litmus test and noticing a tag on AO3 that made me think I must be missing something.