What are you watching & reading? Will you do the Beshdel Test on it?

[Seabright]

I have been trying to apply the Beshdel Test to what I've been watching lately.

The wiki entry in the link above explains more, but basically to pass the Beshdel Test a work of fiction must have:

A) At least two female characters
B) Who Talk to each other
C) About something other than a man

This evening I have watched:

1. Rizzoli & Isles - pass, just
   
2. The Good Wife - pass
   

And I'm reading an Ian Rankin novel at the moment (yes, my choice of tv and books is pretty limited - crime & murder!) which so far fails, but I'm only part way through.

[LeucanTheMopsis]

Spooks. Episode mumble of series mumble. Passed with bells on.
Wodehouse (Company for Henry). Failed with bells on.

[sydlexic]

I heard of the Bechdel test a couple of weeks ago and have been thinking about it. Sadly the only programme that passed was silent witness. It really makes you think.

Love big bang theory but that was a massive fail.

[Schooldidi]

The walking dead - passed.

[Trills]

Mean Girls mainly has women talking to each other about other women rather than about men.

[13Iggis]

A re-run of detective series Vera - passed.

[Schooldidi]

I don't. I hope it's soon.

[Trills]

I really enjoyed that book - do you know when the third one will be out?

[Schooldidi]

I'm reading A wise man's fear by Patrick Rothfuss. It passes, there aren't many female charachters who meet each other but when they do they talk about magic or their studies rather than a man usually.

[TheDoctrineOfSciAndNatureClub]

James has just got to the centre of the Giant Peach and met the insects.

The text goes something like, "The Spider stretched her legs (for she was a female Spider)..." needless to say, Roald Dahl doesn't specify that the Grasshopper is male...

It is a pass though, as the two Aunts talk about eating the Peach.

[tangledupinpoo]

Reading The House of Sleep at the moment. Not far through it but so far, it just passes.

Watched the Iron Lady last night and that barely passed, surprisingly. There was quite a lot of MT talking to Carole, but mostly about missing Denis. Some of it must have been about what she was going to wear that night, or going to buy milk.

My DH used to think me over-earnest changing half the animals' genders in Dear Zoo. Seriously, they're all male!

Can't even articulate the level of fail of the Godfather films and Apocalypse Now.

[ThePathanKhansAmnesiac]

I,m watching the Golden Compass, thats a pass i think, isn,t it?.

[Trills]

There's a conversation between Cosette and Mme Thernardier along the lines of "work harder, go get water", "I'm scared and I don't want to". So that's technically a pass.

[AmandaPayne]

I think it fails too. The bully Fantine essentially about a man - the whole conversation is about her sexual behaviour. Eponine and Collette never speak, which is a bit chance missed IMO.

[msrisotto]

Les Miserables...I think it fails? I know Fantine is bullied out of the factory where she was working by women who were bullying/talking to her but I don't think they actually had names.....

[Melpomene]

Just saw Wreck-it Ralph at the cinema. It passed the test on the basis of two scenes - one scene where some girl video game characters are discussing a go kart race (although this does involve bullying), and a second happier discussion at the end involving the same group of girls.

Two of the main four characters in the film are female - they play a more significant role in the film than I expected from watching the trailer. They don't really ever talk to each other, but both are presented as feisty, active and resourceful.

[Sunnywithshowers]

I'm watching Piranha.

Epic fail on all counts.

[AmandaPayne]

I have already browsed the outfits (oh the shame ). I was pleased to see quite a few women actually wearing coats on the red carpet. Small improvements and all that.

[EduCated]

Not quite right for the test, but am watching the BAFTAs. Will be interesting to see how many women present as compared to men.

[FrameyMcFrame]

Just watching Call the Midwife with DD. It does pass but women are beaten up and humiliated, another is sexually abused on a cargo ship by the sailors. I know it's set in the past but it's not really family viewing

[kerala]

Zero Dark Thirty passes frequent scenes of 2 women discussing their work.

[CheerfulYank]

I watched 27 Dresses last night...it passed.