Media and Bechdel Test

Women have since time immemorial been painted as individuals whose lives and conversations revolve around men. The complexity of their lives is underrepresented in films courtesy of the conventional portrayal by Hollywood films. This essay is an analysis of the media and the Bechdel test when assessing how inclusive a movie is. The article acknowledges that female protagonists have for a long time been portrayed as women whose lives revolve around men. The author believes that most Hollywood hits have failed to create movies whose movie lines are devoid of women discussing men. This was done under the pretext that including other aspects in the films would be of negative monetary consequences. The bigotry of the media shows how the entertainment industry has played a role in suppressing the thought of screenwriters with divergent views.

The screenwriters are made to believe that the male brain is wired to believe that a female discussion over men instantly stimulates their concentration. This is however becoming less rampant as men currently appreciate women with brains. The advent of feminism has brought with it changes on how women want to be represented. The entertainment industry has no excuse for not hiring more women in the movie creation industry. The storyline becomes skewed if the storyline is founded on an allegedly informed male idea. The media should start covering the interesting aspects of women lives. Hollywood script writers should work on writing content that explores the lives of women in its entirety. The presence of women should not automatically create a perception that whatever they are about to talk about revolves around men.

For instance, a Latino lead women is oftenly sexualized, is expected to be less educated and usually has a heavy Spanish accent. The media has since time immemorial objectified women as subjects of sexual satisfaction. The subsequent outcome is the creation of a stereotype that women are to be glorified based on their external beauties but not for their brains. It gives women the impression that their personality does not help them at all. This stems from the media representation of what the ideal woman by the media is supposed to be. The consequence is that a person’s behaviour is validated by what he or she sees in the media. If the media advocates for sexist movies, then the target audience has no choice but to accept that sexism is normal.

The criticism of the test is that talking about men does not always have to incorporate sexual content. The women could be about women discussing members of the family of the opposite sex. The conversation could be about trying to revenge male villains. There is no problem failing the Bechdel test but there is a problem in how the media handles the topic on gender. Depicting men as the only individuals capable of making meaningful conversations objectifies women. It undermines their capabilities which in turn might be swept into oblivion. In summary, the media should seek ways that portray the feminine gender as being more opinionated on matters not only regarding male romance. The media generates perceptions of the target audience.