h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: The Bechdel Test - what are women doing in the movies? - A42309812
Author: zoe - U13640681

I've been getting a bit bogged down with the format and footnotes and links, so would especially appreciate some feedback on that.

I'm an existing researcher btw but want to put my entries under a different account not connected to my community one.

thanks

Hello reborn zoe I'll take my points in the order they appear in the entry:

bais >> bias

>>Also known as The Dykes To Watch Out For Test (DTWOF Test), the Alison Bechdel Test, or the Mo Movie Measure1, the Bechdel Test is now used as a starting point for analysing the portrayal of women in popular and other culture.<<
The first part of this sentence repeats what you said previously. Try instead: >>Variously known as the DTWOF Test, the Alison Bechdel Test, or the Mo Movie Measure, it is now used as a starting point for analysing the portrayal of women in popular and other culture.<<

>>Most films fail to fail at that one.<<
There are far too many negatives here. A failure to fail is a pass. The Reverse Bechdel Test seems to be passed if the film fails the test

>>scifi writers<< either sci-fi writers, or SF writers. Ditto in >>action/horror/scifi<< film

>>it has only one central character that is a woman<> it has only one central character, *Trillian*, that is a woman<<

I'm now wondering who you are...

Fantastic entry, anyway. I've heard of this before, but it was nice to see it all written down together, and you explained it well.

My only comment is that entries tend to use colons rather than hyphens in the title, so you might find it getting changed to The Bechdel Test: What Are Women Doing In The Movies? or something like Women in Films: The Bechdel Test.

Also, your formatting, footnoting, links etc all seem fine.

Well - As an unreconstitued chauvanist who has been promised he can be first against the wall come the wimmin's revolution -

I've not heard of this before - not really surprising, but I have no problems with the entry.

It's started me thinking about some of my favourite films.

You've already mentioned Lord of The Rings, Oh Brother Where Art Thou also fares poorly, Forrest Gump fails I think.

In fact the only film I can think of that I've enjoyed that passes is Mamma Mia - and I'm not 100% sure about that, because they do talk about men a lot.

I like it! Good concept.

That's also the reason I like the sci-fi webcomics "Narbonic" and "Dicebox" - they have female leads for no particular "reason", just like you don't need a "reason" for male leads...

But Sex And The City? I've never seen it, but don't they mostly obsess about men?

bais >> bias

>>>
>>Also known as The Dykes To Watch Out For Test (DTWOF Test), the Alison Bechdel Test, or the Mo Movie Measure1, the Bechdel Test is now used as a starting point for analysing the portrayal of women in popular and other culture.<<

The first part of this sentence repeats what you said previously. Try instead: >>Variously known as the DTWOF Test, the Alison Bechdel Test, or the Mo Movie Measure, it is now used as a starting point for analysing the portrayal of women in popular and other culture.<<
<<<

Hmm, I hadn't actually used the phrase 'The Dykes To Watch Out For Test' previously. Is that what you meant, or more that the phrase 'The Dykes To Watch Out For' was being used too much?



>>>
>>Most films fail to fail at that one.<<
There are far too many negatives here. A failure to fail is a pass. The Reverse Bechdel Test seems to be passed if the film fails the test headhurts
>>>

Yes, this is problematic, and I don't particularly like how I've written it. But that is how the test works. It's ironic. The point is that most films fail the Bechdel Test, and 'pass' the Anti test but for the same reason. So the Anti test isn't really a pass, it's a failure, because it comes from the same misogyny as the Bechdel test failures.

I'll see if I can explain it better. Also I've just found some more writing online about that so I'll probably change the links.



>>scifi writers<< either sci-fi writers, or SF writers. Ditto in >>action/horror/scifi<< film





>>it has only one central character that is a woman<> it has only one central character, *Trillian*, that is a woman<<





I've put a colon in the title, but am still thinking through title options.


I wasn't sure about referencing quotes eg is footnote 5 ok?


Sex and the City... I haven't seen the film, but saw most of the TV series, and yes there's alot about men, but lots about other things too (shoes and handbags , other women's stuff like babies, careers, health etc), especially when compared to most other films. Aparently the film passes well.

Thank you.

I really liked this Entry because it's about something you won't find on other 'encyclopaedic' sites.

Great stuff, thoroughly engrossing read, well thought out.

This is what the EG needs to careen into, filling those holes with ephemera that other places won't.

With some refinement will make a great addition

"Other women's stuff" - see, that's why I think it should be an honourary fail. Why can they get away with talking only about "women's stuff"?

Nice one "Zoe".

You are aware that by posting a thread in Ask the other day stating that you were having trouble registering a new h2g2 account, you've blown your cover a tad?

Cracking entry though

Very well-written, informative and entertaining.

Well done!

Thanks everyone

>>Why can they get away with talking only about "women's stuff"? <<

I agree! Sex and the City is a film aimed at women that want to talk about babies and men and shoes though. And to be fair, the TV series did cover a wide range of topics, but it was alot about sex in that city (for that class of women). I really liked the show because really it was about the relationships between the four main women, and it's very rare to see that degree of development of women characters and how they relate to each other.

Hi there!


I noticed that your point:
The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - only one of the central characters, Trillain, is a woman. Douglas Adams, author of the original book, apparently didn’t feel comfortable writing women characters.
may have to be re-examined. There was at least a second, central female character.

The group was on the run, most of the movie, and one of the major pursuers was female. This doesn't mean I don't agree that H2G2 would probably fail the test, because I can't remember the two speaking directly to each other.

It would be unusual not to include a specifically named pursuer as a central character (think 'The Fugitive').

It is also an Earth proclivity to refer to one's ship in the feminine, and she did talk to the ship on things other than men, entirely.

If the referencing of other inanimate objects as if they were female is accepted (cars, computers, weapons), then Marvin might also qualify, despite not having any specifically male or female genitalia. I wouldn't actually suggest this.

The ship being a "she" is a little far-fetched, isn't it?

I've been looking through some catalogues. The toy thing is true, usually Only one has passed muster so far.

Yes, referring to ships is far-fetched in my mind, too; but it is a long-standing maritime tradition that has taken to space. All rockets, lunar landers, orbiters, and shuttles (to the best of my knowledge) have been referred to as 'she' by their crews.

I don't think we (the French) refer to ships as feminine. Since the Bechdel Test should work regardless of the language I guess ships shouldn't count. (And anyway, wasn't the Heart of Gold's voice male in the TV series?)

Apart from this - what a fascinating idea, and a ridiculously easy test to run A shame so many films seem to fail it.

(I've often wondered, what if someone remade a movie while reversing all the characters' genders?)

Have you ever seen that one episode of Red Dwarf where they land in a parallel "opposite" Universe?

I have never seen any episode of Red Dwarf You made me very curious now!

Hi Guy!

I'm not sure that the Bechdel Test should have to be considered a universal test; but that, in itself, is an interesting concept?!

Yes, the voice of the Heart-of-Gold's computer-voice, in the TV series, was male (Hi there! I'm Eddie, the shipboard computer...); but only as long as it was programmed that way. Remember that Zaphod activated an 'alternative personality', female, as the group was about to step out onto Magrathea (it'll all come to tears).

Even given the voice, the computer was housed by the ship, and navigated probabilities; but it was not 'The Ship', just its computer. The ship may still be considered to be feminine, even if you give the keel and rudder male nicknames.

Still, I suspect that few would consider the ship in a Bechdel Test, and rightly so imho.

But this point about Eddie, the computer and the ship was worth making