Your Favorite Movie is Probably Sexist

By Fusion Staff  |  January 10, 2014 | 11:41pm
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Soon, some Swedish movie theaters will begin using a new rating system, measuring gender bias in the films screened. Named after cartoonist, Alison Bechdel, the Bechdel Test has three criteria:

1. It has to have at least two women in it.

2. They must talk to each other.

3. The topic of discussion has to be about something other than a man.

At least 10 films passed the test in 2013, while some of the most famous films to date surprisingly fail the test. Yet, “Hollywood movies with strong female roles make more money,” according to Vocativ.

Alicia Menendez spoke with writer and activist, Soraya Chemaly and Imran Siddiquee of The Representation Project about the Bechdel Test as it relates to this year’s Golden Globe nominated films.

“If you were to reverse this test and think about how many films feature men talking about things other than women, I would think that almost 90 percent and above of films pass that test,” Siddiquee said. “That’s when you really see the issue.”

The three films the panel discussed were The Wolf of Wall Street, Blue Jasmine and Gravity.

The Wolf of Wall Street


Blue Jasmine


Gravity


Now go and test all of your favorite movies. Unfortunately, you may be really disappointed to find out that your favorite one isn’t as free of gender bias as you once thought.

Share your findings with us in the comments below!

 
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