This statement epitomizes the problem with white feminism.
First, a quick definition of the Bechdel test, invented by amazing writer and comic artist Alison Bechdel, known for the long-running comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For and her memoir Fun Home, which she turned into a Tony Award-winning musical. Just in case you weren’t already convinced she’s a genius (and I have been since the old DTWOF days), she was a 2014 recipient of the MacArthur “genius” grant.
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6 comments:
As I understand it, Alison Bechdel never intended for people to actually use the Bechdel Test as a metric for whether or not a particular story is diverse enough or whatnot. My understanding is that the idea of the Bechdel Test is to make a point about how few movies pass it, not to assert that any given movie should. The fact that most movies don’t says something about our culture and our media as a whole. That doesn’t mean that any given movie passing or failing indicates if that movie is “good” or “bad”. I definitely agree that someone using the Bechdel Test as a metric as to whether or not they will watch a particular movie, play, or TV show is silly. Especially with how much information about any given story is easily accessible, it isn’t hard to quickly look into the movie/play in question and see what it is about, who it is written by, and see if it promotes diversity or tells the same overtold and oversimplified stories we’ve seen over and over again.
I agree with Julian’s comment that the intention was likely to make actually consider how movies or plays would pass, not to judge their quality. And while I see where the author of this article is coming from in pointing out that this is excluding important and meaningful works with predominantly male casts, I don’t think the test should be amended to include those works. First, because I believe that the Bechdel test was a tool to gain a new perspective rather than a requirement, and second because it is not addressing the issue. To my understanding, Bechdel was arguing that there need to be more female roles, and those females need to have a meaningful presence. So a work with a predominantly male cast about x important issue is great, and it should be produced, but you can’t argue it is helping gender representation. I’m also fine with female-male conversations not counting, because it filters out work with a token female character. The test can’t be inclusive if it is going to limit the scope enough to see the problem.
People are just so desperate in this day and age to prove that they are not part of the problem that they actually end up perpetuating it (or at least parts of it). As said, the Bechdel test was meant as commentary. It was to show the lack of real female representation in movies and shows and plays. People, mainly straight white feminists who do not face much else in terms of oppression, in their desperateness will apply this test literally and strictly adhere to it because they think they're helping. On the one hand they are, by forcing filmmakers and playwrights to create real female characters and narratives; but, on the other hand, they are not, by discounting the stories that follow other marginalized and repressed groups. This blogger did a good job doing what so many do not when they criticize "white feminists": not discount entirely what they are doing. This blogger emphasized that this is important, but it isn't the only important thing. White feminism deserves to be called out and knocked down a peg, but discounting it entirely instead of calling for it to be more inclusive only creates more problems, more divides, and more obstacles to progress.
The point the author satirically makes about white people waiting for their Not Racist or Not Sexist card is incredibly poignant and real. It reminds me of a video I was watching a while back about the difference between being “not racist” and being “anti-racist.” When you’re trying to be Not Racist you are trying to remove yourself from the problem as much as possible. You are not supportive of racial violence and not engaging in discrimination, but you are also not engaged and not supportive. The Bechdel Test, when interpreted as a rubric instead of as a commentary, is a Not Sexist behavior. But then there is Anti-Racist, which is when you are engaged with the injustices in the world and your role in them, and you are actively taking action that supports the rights of racial minorities. This means grappling with and understanding your privilege and the actions you do so commonly that might be harmful to others, not so you can just stop, but so that you can begin to change course.
I fully agree with this article. The Bechdel test feels outdated now. right now we are in a world fighting a million battles at once and we should care about all of them. The test really is flawed not only with how it can be passed with seriously misogynistic content but it also ignores some of the other issues we are dealing with today. Now its important to understand thats not what this test was designed to do. It is also important to understand that we cant use a simple test to see if a show has merit touching issues of feminism or racial pressures. We as consumers of theater much critically analyse pieces for their merit taking into consideration the context of the work. If we want to support these pieces we need to understand this and go out and support them. Rather than relying on outdated tests to decide what work touches the issues we are concerned with, we must go out and seek it for ourselves and form our own opinions on the work.
I think this article has some good points, but i don't necessarily agree with everything in it. I do think it is very important to use the Bechdel test properly, and not use it as the end all be all judge of something's quality. I don't particularly like, however, how the author seems to write off the play written by a white man about social gossip as unimportant or lesser than the play about racial and social issues. I think every piece of theatre has it's place and it's significance, so that for me discredited her as an objective author on the use of the Bechdel test. I do think the later point, that films with less than stellar treatment of women pass this test, is a good one. I really do agree with this author in that this test was more of a wake up call and way to make people consider the content of current media.
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