Bechdel-Wallace test

Bech·​del Testˈbek-dəl-

noun

a set of criteria used as a test to evaluate a work of fiction (such as a film) on the basis of its inclusion and representation of female charactersNote: The usual criteria of the Bechdel Test are (1) that at least two women are featured, (2) that these women talk to each other, and (3) that they discuss something other than a man. While the premise may seem simple, there are a shocking number of movies that manage to fail this test, with only 58 percent of all movies in the Bechdel Test database passing in all three areas.—Victoria Lara

In addition to being co-written by pre-"Lady Bird" Greta Gerwig, the film [Mistress America] passes the Bechdel test because it showcases the (non-romantic) ambitions of two women in different stages of their lives.—Sophia Spirus

noun

a set of criteria used as a test to evaluate a work of fiction (such as a film) on the basis of its inclusion and representation of female charactersNote: The usual criteria of the Bechdel Test are (1) that at least two women are featured, (2) that these women talk to each other, and (3) that they discuss something other than a man. While the premise may seem simple, there are a shocking number of movies that manage to fail this test, with only 58 percent of all movies in the Bechdel Test database passing in all three areas.—Victoria Lara

In addition to being co-written by pre-"Lady Bird" Greta Gerwig, the film [Mistress America] passes the Bechdel test because it showcases the (non-romantic) ambitions of two women in different stages of their lives.—Sophia Spirus

after Alison Bechdel (born 1960) American cartoonist, who introduced the test in a comic strip in 1985, and her friend Liz Wallace, whom the cartoonist credits with creation of the test

The first known use of Bechdel Test was in 2007