Bechdel test

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English[edit]

English Wikipedia has an article on:
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Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

After cartoonist Alison Bechdel, author of a 1985 Dykes to Watch Out For comic strip that popularized the test. Reportedly first used in 2007.[1]

Proper noun[edit]

Bechdel test

  1. A feminist test for evaluating a work of fiction by whether it contains (i) at least two women (especially, named female characters) (ii) who talk to each other (iii) about something other than a man.
    • 2019 April 26, Melena Ryzik, “Screenplay Software Adds Tool to Assess a Script’s Inclusiveness”, in The New York Times[1], →ISSN:
      It also will enable users to determine if a project passes the Bechdel Test, measuring whether two female characters speak to each other about anything other than a man.
    • 2019 September 5, Jessica Sternfeld, Elizabeth L. Wollman, The Routledge Companion to the Contemporary Musical, Routledge, →ISBN:
      Finally, the percentage of musicals that pass the Bechdel test but not the jobs test has also remained consistent―at under 10% for the entire 75 years studied. These results imply that it is far more likely for a musical to pass the Bechdel test if a female character is employed in it; perhaps having a focus other than men for a character aids in more progressive portrayals.

Synonyms[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Bechdel test”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.