There are numerous reasons why so many movies fail the Bechdel test. Most of these reasons directly correspond to the exact nature of this assessment, and what it reveals about society. Still others of these reasons pertain to the function of films within society. For the most part, they are used to reinforce societal values and mores. To a lesser extent, this medium is also widely deployed as a means of introducing new societal norms which will one day become part of the social establishment. Finally, still other reasons directly correlate to the notion of gender and gender constructs in Westernization today. A thorough examination of these different reasons reveals so many movies fail the Bechdel test because they reflect the values of a male-dominated society.
In examining the specific way in which this this thesis applies to some of the theorists analyzed within this class, it is first necessary to elucidate the different facets of this instrument and what it states about society as a whole. The first requirement of this test is for the movie to have at least two women with names in it. Many movies fail this test because of this initial requirement, simply because women are not central to the plot. Moreover, there is typically only one woman who plays an integral role within the plot of many films, typically in either the Madonna or the proverbial whore role. The critical point about this particular component of the Bechdel test is it does not preclude films from having more than one woman in it with a speaking role, but more than one woman who speaks and has a name.
Coates alludes to this point by writing her son that the very notion of the term people in this country "did not mean your mother or your grandmother" (1), partly because they were marginalized as women.
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There is a degree of importance associated with names in movies, as named characters frequently are imbued with the sort of characterization denoting they are significant parts of the movie's plot. Many movies fail this facet of the Bechdel test because women are not deemed important enough to warrant more than one character with a name in it by today's society.
Another important characteristic of the Bechdel test which many movies fail, and which corroborates the fact that they are simply mirroring the values of a male-dominated society, is that the women do not speak to one another. It is important to realize that this facet of this test is so fallible for several films firstly because there are not enough of them with more than one female character with names. When there are films which are able to pass this initial criteria, it is not infrequent that the women with names do not speak to each. Perhaps more than any other aspect of this evaluation, this characteristic of the test attests to the male-dominated nature of both the film industry and the overall society which it in turn reflects. The principle reason that most films do not incorporate a substantial amount of dialogue between women is because they are mostly cast in supporting roles. Again, the standard is either the Madonna or the whore stereotype. The crux of this stereotype is these characters typically only exist in relation to men.
Butler, Judith. "Subjects of Sex/Gender/Desire" in Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. New York, N.Y: Routledge, 1990.
Coates, Ta-Nehisi. "A Letter to My Son," The Atlantic, July 4, 2015. http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/07/tanehisi-coates-between-the-world-and-me/397619/
Fausto-Sterling, Anne. "The Five Sexes: Why Male and Female Are Not Enough." The Sciences. 20-24. 1993.
Foucault, Michael. Discipline and Punishment: The Birth of the Prison. New York: Vintage Books. 1975.
End Notes
1. Ta-Nehisi Coates, "A Letter to My Son," The Atlantic, July 4, 2015.
2. Anne Fausto-Sterling, "The Five Sexes: Why Male and Female Are Not Enough," The Sciences, 1993. 20
3. Judith Butler, "Subjects of Sex/Gender/Desire" in Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. New York, N.Y: Routledge, 1990. 79.
4. Michael Foucault, Discipline and Punishment: The Birth of the Prison. New York: Vintage Books. 1975. 201.
