The Bechdel Test for Women in Movies

This resource is actually a video showing what the Bechdel Test is, and how many movies fail it, produced by Feminist Frequency. The test itself is three simple steps, that most blockbuster movies fail, which reveals the absence of women from the big screen.

The Bechdel Test, sometimes called the Mo Movie Measure or Bechdel Rule is a simple test which names the following three criteria: (1) it has to have at least two women in it, who (2) who talk to each other, about (3) something besides a man. The test was popularized by Alison Bechdel's comic Dykes to Watch Out For, in a 1985 strip called The Rule. It's also interesting to do a reverse Bechdel test - and see how few films fail the Bechdel Test for Men!

The Bechdel Test was popularized by Alison Author of a comic strip, Dykes to Watch Out For, where the test was first presented.