Whoah, another new post. Two in the one day!! Perhaps I’m avoiding something. Like that mega pile of essays over there on my desk. The pile that contains about 160k words. But wait, this blog is for pondering feminism and pop culture. Not pondering procrastination! Right then. Here we go.
I recently stumbled across a wonderful woman on Teh Intertubes. Her name’s Anita Sarkeesian.
You can find her work at http://www.feministfrequency.com: Conversations with Pop Culture. An ongoing series of videoblog commentaries from a fangirl/feminist perspective.
I haven’t had time to check out all of her stuff yet, but she’s getting my vote for “feminist of the week” because two of her videoblogs (embedded below) are simply fabulous. They align so neatly with both my academic and fangirl interests that I just have to share!
(The Bechdel Test for Women in Movies)
One of my students discussed the Bechdel Test in class the other day. I had not heard of it before. You may not have either. This short 2-min clip neatly describes what the Bechdel Test is. Watch it, if you haven’t already!
Basically, to pass the Bechdel Test (or the Mo Movie Measure, as it is sometimes referred) a film has to meet these three very simple criteria.
1. It has to have at least two women in it,
2. Who talk to each other,
3. About something besides a man.
It is incredibly eye-opening to realise how many films don’t make the cut. A film might meet one or two of the points, but it cannot pass the test unless all three points are met. As pointed out in the video, the Bechdel test highlights systemic problems with the way women are portrayed in movies.
The maker of this fantastic videoblog won my heart and cemented herself as this month’s “feminist of the week” after I watched another of her clips: “Why we need you Veronica Mars”!!
Just this week I have started (re)watching Season 2 of Veronica Mars in all its funny, sassy, feminist brilliance. And then I happened upon this gorgeous youtube clip offering brilliant and insightful commentary about Veronica, popular culture and feminism. What’s not to love?
(Why we need you Veronica Mars)
Like, Anita, I urge you to get your hands on some Veronica. It’s brilliant television.
June 4, 2010 at 6:34 pm |
Wow. Never heard of the Bechdel Test before, but, now that I think about, it’s surprising how many films wouldn’t pass!
June 5, 2010 at 2:52 pm |
It’s actually quite frightening, huh? It also works for TV series.
October 15, 2010 at 6:30 pm |
[...] Mars from Veronica Mars I’ve written briefly about my Veronica fandom before, but I’ll say it again. This chick is awesome. She’s a highschool student by [...]
November 9, 2010 at 10:49 am |
[...] For a film that doesn’t come close to passing the Bechdel Test, in her article, Groupies, Sexed-Up Asians, Vengeful Sluts, And Feminist Killjoys – Meet The [...]
November 28, 2010 at 1:31 pm |
[...] It’s by Anita Sarkeesian from Feminist Frequency, a video-blogger I’ve linked to before. [...]
February 25, 2012 at 10:48 am |
[...] mentioned the Bechdel Test before. It’s a fairly simple test to gauge the presence and significance of female characters in a [...]
December 7, 2012 at 5:13 pm |
[...] may remember a while ago that I awarded a “feminist of the week” award to the delightful Anita Sarkeesian for her incredible Feminist Frequency videos. If you [...]