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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

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

211 replies

Seabright · 24/01/2013 23:32

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.
OP posts:
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ThePathanKhansAmnesiac · 15/02/2013 16:11

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

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tangledupinpoo · 15/02/2013 16:55

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.

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TheDoctrineOfSciAndNatureClub · 15/02/2013 20:35

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.

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Schooldidi · 15/02/2013 20:57

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.

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Trills · 15/02/2013 22:42

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

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Schooldidi · 15/02/2013 22:42

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

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13Iggis · 15/02/2013 22:46

A re-run of detective series Vera - passed.

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Trills · 15/02/2013 22:49

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

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Schooldidi · 15/02/2013 23:11

The walking dead - passed.

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sydlexic · 15/02/2013 23:28

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.

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LeucanTheMopsis · 16/02/2013 18:26

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

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