The Bechdel test, developed by Alison Bechdel in 1985, comprises three questions as a measure of gender bias in movies and fiction. These questions are: Does it feature at least two named women? Do those women interact? When they interact, do they talk about something other than a man? 

This test questions whether or not women play big enough roles in films. At the same time, it brings to light the tendency for Hollywood writers and directors to portray women as dependent on men with less important narratives or motivations.

It is true that, in the interests of most blockbuster movies intended to sell tickets by the hundreds of thousands, male characters are more able to go through “exciting,” comedic or tragic experiences—rather formulaically—which suggests only men can really empathize with these spiritually and physically taxing experiences.

This formula has begun to grow stale, though, and Hollywood has responded to the demand of better female representation with recent blockbuster films such as The Hunger Games series, Lucy, The Avengers, Gravity and several more, which all feature strong female leads.

As the art of film has evolved, female characters have moved away from the dimwitted damsel in distress tropes of the past and have begun to take central roles in action films as well as dramas, comedies and historical pieces. In the early days of making movies, it was considered realistic for a woman to behave like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, who was constantly emoting surprise, embarrassment or some confusion of the two. That definition of realism in film has had time to evolve all the way up to 1985 and since then it has evolved even further. 

Do movies not reflect what is deemed realistic or at least relatable with audiences at the time in which it is made? What is realistic for women in our time? It couldn’t be anything different than what is already being displayed in theaters. Whether or not it gets better is a function of the actions of people in our society, not the opinions of the directors and writers.

The Bechdel test asked only that fictional women in 1985 play more of their own role, as they undoubtedly do in any real life male success story whether by their presence or their absence. In the 21st century, Western women are more able to make their own way, so why not let the stories play out as they do on screen and judge them based on their individual context? I believe that most moviegoers can accept a static woman in a movie as long as her role is written in a way that contributes to a quality movie.

Movies can only portray a director or writer’s view of a storyline, which is based on their view of reality. When they represent purely male issues, such as in the movie Taxi Driver, it is clearly something that they feel needs to be shown to the public and they can do so without meeting the criteria for the Bechdel test. 

The Bechdel test has been adapted for use by racial minorities and for the LGBT community. This seems to suggest that movies are a cause of bigotry and prejudice rather than innocent expressions of individual artists.

Some argue that the media perpetuates pre-existing stereotypes and attitudes, but that is like blaming a mirror for making a person look bad.

The Bechdel test is part of our society’s moving beyond old barriers between artistic explorations. However, the blame should be directed at people in our daily lives who judge others based on gender, race or sexual orientation, which is what truly holds us all back as a society.