This week’s theme
Eponyms

This week’s words
Gavroche
Bechdel test
chimerize
grangousier
lexiphanic

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(BEK-duhl test)

MEANING:

noun: A test of inclusion and representation of women in a work of fiction.

ETYMOLOGY:

After cartoonist Alison Bechdel (b. 1960), who described the concept in her comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For (1985). Earliest documented use of the term “Bechdel test”: 2005.

NOTES:

Alison Bechdel attributed the test to her friend Liz Wallace and hence the test is also known as the Bechdel-Wallace test. A work of fiction passes the test if it has:
1. At least two women
2. Who talk to each other
3. About something other than men

The Bechdel test has inspired other tests. Some examples:

• Mako Mori test: a test about female characters having their own narrative arc, not just be there to support a man
• Finkbeiner test: about the portrayal of women in science
• Vito Russo test: about the portrayal of LGBTQ characters
• Josephs test: about the portrayal of Orthodox Jews
• Riz Test: about the portrayal of Muslim characters

USAGE:

“‘I’m saying if we are characters in a movie, television show, or book, we would fail that goddamn [Bechdel] test every time. Talk to me about something that isn’t centered around a man!’
‘My sister is pregnant, does that count?’ Felicity asks, frowning.
‘That’s amazing!’ I reply, enthusiastic. ‘See?’
‘A man made her pregnant, though.’”
Andrea Rookes; A Month of Sundays; Stone Cairn Publishing; 2023.

“Sadia Habib and Shaf Choudry, an academic and a tech consultant in Britain, created the Riz Test, the Muslim equivalent of the Bechdel Test, which set criteria for judging Muslim portrayals in film and television.”
Sopan Deb; ‘Ramy’ Is a Quietly Revolutionary Comedy; Gulf News (Dubai); Nov 2, 2019.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: