I have chosen to use the bechdel test as a form of measurement of how women are represented in films via three easy and efficient rules.
- At least two women are featured
- These women talk to each other
- They discuss something other than a man
This test was introduced by the cartoonist Alison Bechdel in a comic titled ‘D*kes to watch out for’ and was in reference to one of the two conversing queer women saying she would only go see a film if it meets a criteria involving female characters.
An interesting query regarding this form of test however is to question the validity, as Bechdel had no scientific basis to ‘validate’ her analytical test. So should this mean that we should use it today as anything more than something from a cartoon strip? Personally I believe that in this case something doesn’t have to be scientifically proven to be significant or even right and that there is a view questioning if a film is really worth watching if women aren’t portrayed properly.
1920’s to 1950’s shows quite a similar representation of women as it reflects society of the time. That era in Hollywood and the US at the time had 3 significant wars being ww2, The Korean war, the Vietnam war and the great depression and viewed the silver screen as something to keep up morale and reflect what they wanted to see in their society, which in this case were submissive and desirable women.
During the 1960’s the representation of women changed to women being more free to be promiscuous and open also depicting women taking birth control mainly due to the hit of second wave feminism. This follows through the 70’s with women not being marriage driven as it was found to be confining, instead showing female characters on a path of self discovery which may not end in marriage or a family. 80’s and 90’s saw more women behind the scenes in filmmaking after the equal rights amendment, leading to more self-sufficient, competent and professional women.
Sadly the 2000’s saw a drastic change in women’s representation in films, instead of being a continuation of women’s empowerment it focussed on the hypersexualisation of women. It negatively impacted female mental health though sustaining the beauty ideal as skinny and young and outcasting older women. Despite the films that represented female empowerment it cannot be ignored the influx of toxicity of that time. 2010’s saw the rise of 4th wave feminism. The #MeToo movement started by Tarana Burke had an influx of support and recognition for women, giving an opportunity for amazing, strong Female leads that now completely ignore the romance aspects of men and instead celebrate themselves.
As we enter the 2020’s there have already been promising steps in not only representing women but starting to better represent different genders other than the cis males and females with series like Pose and The Owl House making it accessible to younger generations.
By using Rotten Tomato, a website renowned for accurate representations of wider audience reviews on movies, and finding the top 5 movies of each year from 2014 to 2022 and comparing it to how many of the 5 passed the Bechdel test there was an unsteady increase. I can only assume that over a longer period of time, say from the 1920’s to now, then there would have been a very obvious increase. Therefore it could be seen as indirectly correlating with the better representation of women in film.
There is no saying that female liberation will mean the same in 50 years or so than it does today but with any hope in regards to film culture it will continue to mean the equal and true representation of powerful women that stay true to the reality of femininity. In my opinion there is nothing wrong with being a housewife and meeting the ideals of 1920’s to 50’s women but I am grateful for the flexibility there is nowadays so that that isn’t the only option and expectation. There is always more to be done to make the silver screen better and more non-male oriented but I believe we are on the right course for it.
Amelia Russell 