Here's Proof That Hollywood Is Sexist, From The Winner Of A 2014 MacArthur Genius Grant
Disney / Marvel'The Avengers' does not pass the Bechdel Test.Cartoonist and feminist theorist Alison Bechdel won a 2014 MacArthur grant, which will give her $625,000 over five years to spend however she wants.
The MacArthur Foundation highlights her works including "Dykes To Watch Out For" but fails to mention the popular tool she created in 1985 to identify movies that take women seriously.
To pass the Bechdel test, a movie must meet the following criteria:
- It has to have at least two [named] women in it,
- who talk to each other,
- about something besides a man.
Pretty simple, right? But a shocking number of movies don't pass the test.
Blogger Daniel Mariani analyzed data from the crowd-sourced Bechdel Test Movie List to create a series of charts on the subject. With his permission, we're publishing a chart on Bechdel pass rates by genre.
While around 58% of movies pass the test, with even higher pass rates for genres like horror (!), drama, and comedy, only some 37% of action movies pass, with similar failure rates for other major genres.
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Go to Mariani's site to see charts by director, writer, country, and more >
And here's a video on Alison Bechdel from the MacArthur Foundation:
As for "The Avengers," pictured above, a commenter on BechdelTest.com notes that: "There are more than two named female characters; however there is no interaction between any of them. Agent Maria Hill does give orders to her staff (some of whom are female), but there is certainly no conversation/dialogue."