Does the Bechdel Bar Still Matter?
- Meredith Busch
- Sep 28
- 4 min read
Hi there! Welcome back to Woman's Place.
Since I've been on maternity leave, I've been watching a lot of TV and movies and reading a lot of books. I've also been watching movies with my 2-year-old daughter. My husband and I have been discussing so many children's movies and shows and the issues with them, and it reminded me of the Bechdel test. I want to make sure that the vast majority of media consumed in our home passes this test.
For this space, our goal is to examine how womanhood impacts our material reality. So, let's take that critical lens and turn it on the media we consume - specifically, the deceptively simple Bechdel Test.
The Bechdel Test is the gold standard for feminist film critique, yet it's a standard so low it often feels like tripping over the finish line. It asks just three simple questions.
Does the film or show feature at least two named women?
Do they talk to each other?
Is their conversation about something other than a man?
If you were asked to describe the current state of female representation in media in one word, people might say "improved." We see female leads everywhere - in sci-fi, action, fantasy, comedy, and prestige dramas. So, why are we still talking about a test that originated in an obscure 1985 comic strip by Alison Bechdel?
The Shocking Failures and the Easy Passes
This test was intended as a joke - a humorous observation highlighting the absolute paucity of female voices in Hollywood. Yet, nearly forty years later, the results remain startling. You know the famous failures: the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy, much of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and other films like The Social Network.
What's more revealing are the films that pass but are in no way feminist (like American Pie 2 with just a brief line about clothes) and the films that fail but still feature incredible female characters (Gravity with a brilliant, lone scientist heroine).
This reveals the test's two core truths:
It measures presence, not quality. A movie can pass the test and still be misogynistic, and a movie can fail and still be essential.
It forces us to ask: Is this story gynocentric or male-centric? If two women can only exist on screen in relation to a male character's plot, it means their lives, ambitions, and dialogue are still just supporting features in a man's world.
The Modern Problem: Gaming the System
In 2025, passing the Bechdel Test is often viewed as a corporate PR requirement. Studios know about the test, and in many cases, they "game the system" by inserting a single, short conversation between two female characters - often entirely disposable to the plot - just to secure the "pass" grade.
This leads to the question that Woman's Place is truly interested in: Does the simple act of passing guarantee that media is actually reflecting female life?
I think most people reading this would automatically think, no. While the visibility of female leads is higher, the quality of female relationships is still often shallow, and conversations rarely delve into the rich, complex realities of women's lives, careers, or politics outside of romantic or familial dynamics. The real test is not just whether they talk about a man, but whether the conversation reveals a fully realized internal life independent of the male plot.
If you're into this kind of topic, you'd know that Reese Witherspoon, along with many others, is on a crusade to increase the number of movies and shows available that are written by, starring, and revealing the true complexity of women. These kinds of initiatives are indicative of the shortcomings in Hollywood as it stands. In another post soon, we'll talk about how to break down barriers to get boys and men consuming women's stories as well.
The Way Forward: We Need Better Data
The Bechdel Test is a powerful statistical starting point, but we need to move beyond its limitations. We need more rigorous tools, like the Mako Mori Test (which asks if a female character has a narrative arc that doesn't support a man's story) or the Peirce Test (which focuses on a female protagonist with her own needs and desires).
But ultimately, the change starts with us - the consumer. By documenting what we see, we can hold the industry accountable.
We encourage you to become a media critic in your own right. Below is a simple tool where you can log the next piece of media you consume. Don't worry, you're allowed to like the things that don't pass...it's just important to take note of how much of the media we consume doesn't live up to the place women deserve in media. Next time you watch, read, or play something, check it against all three tests using the link below. Did it pass, or did Hollywood punt on the easiest question they could be asked?
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