Women in Film: The Bechdel Test

Maya Owen

The Bechdel test is a test which rates films based on three simple criteria. Its not a test of whether the film is a feminist one, or whether it is a good film, but simply if there is female presence in it.

Criteria: A film must have...
1. At least two (named) female characters in it,
2. Who talk to each other,
3. About something other than a man.

A film passes the test if all three are achieved which, looking at them, surely can't be hard?

You'd be surprised at how many films fail.

The films below are a small sample of those which failed the test.
- The Amazing Spider-Man 2
- The Grand Budapest Hotel
- How to Train Your Dragon 2
- The Boxtrolls

Both 'How to Train your Dragon 2' and 'The Boxtrolls' are children's animated films that portray women in a certain way.

And if young girls are presented with female characters who only talk to each other about men or who only ever interact with men then they will instantly connect this with reality.

If they are not shown that women can be as strong and as independent and as heroic as the other male protagonists that so many films show, then what is to become of their desire to do this themselves; to count themselves as equal to men?

Equally, if young boys are constantly shown these images of strong male heroes always saving the 'damsel in distress' then they will begin to judge and measure themselves against these images and expect certain behaviour or attitude from women.

You could say the entire film industry is built upon creating films that cater to and are about men, but this is changing.

Films like 'The Hunger Games' and 'Divergent' show strong female protagonists and have become so popular.

Evidently, the film industry needs to change its tune.

Women make up half of the world. Shouldn't their bravery and strength make up half the films as well?

Below is a link to the Bechdel test web page where you can see all the films that have been tested and whether they failed or passed.

http://bechdeltest.com/

The Imperfect Woman

Kathryn McGrotty

Nowadays it is a crime for women to be anything other than perfect, yet nothing short of being computer-modified is perfect by the media's standards. Images of women are composed, constructed and contorted to make them seem flawless, but can you really be perfect in real life?

A few weeks ago, I read an article about a woman who was criticised for being too “skinny”, her response was how she has always been naturally slim and eats healthily but has never needed or followed a diet to keep her slender figure.

I find it ironic; the media constructs images of women to make them thin, but when a woman is like that in reality she is abused and condemned for “being unhealthy” and “promoting dieting and eating disorders to young women”.

Unfortunately, if a woman is overweight they are presented as being lazy and unattractive.

There is no way for us to succeed in meeting the criteria.

Magazines, television, video games and even children’s media engross themselves in images of the “perfect woman” and this utter obsession with this portrayal of women, and men, is having a lasting effect on younger generations, who will soon grow up living a body-obsessed life.

81% of 10 year olds are afraid of getting fat.

53% of 13 year old girls are unhappy with their bodies, and this number increases to 78% as they reach 17.

These statistics are outrageous and things must change.

Why should we allow the media to construct the lives of women today? The “perfect woman”, apparently, has to be skinny, tall, tanned, toned, curvy, petite and elegant, all at the same time. In reality, this must make everyone imperfect, because no one can match up to the form that the media request.

The definition of perfect is: ‘having all the required or desirable elements, qualities, or characteristics; as good as it is possible to be’

But who really decides what these ‘elements, qualities’ and ‘characteristics’ should be? The media has plucked imaginary ones out of thin air in order to create a standard for women to live up to in the 21st century, but personally I think it’s time for a change and time for a new rule-book of standards for woman.

Number one: being, not computer-modified, but simply yourself.

A New Media Image

Olive Jackson

            Trawling through images of women in adverts, from Gucci to Aldi, across the covers of Vogue and Cosmo, you can't help but question, "Who the hell comes up with this stuff?!"

Cosmo advertising a woman's body
              as the focus of their front page...

            The idea of a woman bending in a confusingly contorted position, wearing nothing but a thong, purely for the purpose of advertising this new fragrance or that new shampoo, is truly out of my grasp.

            Yet this seems to be the norm wherever you look - the objectification of women within the media has become commonplace, and, despite all the advances in women's rights elsewhere, we seem to be slipping in this essential area.

            As a feminist, a woman and an optimist for change, I see this as another area where women can and will strive for change.

            Women, as much as men, have equal rights to power, dominance and their own dignity. 

...whereas it's completely acceptable for a man
to be shown in a shirt and geeky bow-tie

            However this is not seen in the media, where women are seen for their bodies, whilst men are seen for their skills and intelligence. This, in turn, is having a poor effect on the younger generation, meaning girls are focussing on appearance over intelligence and skills.

            I'm not saying men aren't also subject to this prevalent objectification - the images of overly muscular bodybuilders are also rampant.

            My point is that the presentation of body, weight and shape is affecting the population, and not for the better. 

Even in 8-10 year-old girls, 80% admit to have dieted; a shocking amount at such a young age.

 But what can we actually do about this media barrage of the "perfect" look? Sit back as models get thinner, buffer, and more unrealistic?

  We, as a society and a population, must make a change. We must show the companies, the advertisers, the media barons, that: We. Do. Not. Agree.

  We need realistic standards for both us and the younger generations, and the freedom to look, wear and weigh what we want.

   We need change, and we need it now.