Where others failed, Wonder Woman Shatters the Glass Ceiling
It’s no secret by now that Wonder Woman is a landmark film. The first superhero movie to feature a female lead since the disastrous Catwoman, Wonder Woman had a lot riding on its success, not the least of which was the viability of the DC Extended Universe. Its release saw it shattering box office expectations coupled with critical praise. Its success, in part, is owed to director Patty Jenkins’ vision in presenting a female superhero through a non-sexualized lens. Make no mistake that this movie is a massive win for Feminism at a time where that word has become contentious. Women’s representation in films has been an issue for a long time since the creation of the Bechdel Test.
Introduced in 1985, the Bechdel Test was constructed to gauge whether or not a film portrayed female characters as characters in their own right.Since being introduced in 1985,the test had sporadic use for decades. It grew in popularity and became a staple tool of critical review in the early 2000’s. The test is simple and needs to answer the following questions:
1) Does the film have more than one named female character?
2) Do they talk to each other?
3) Is the subject of their discussion something other than a man?
While simple,it is truly shocking how much classic cinema does not pass the Bechdel Test. Most episodes of the original Star Trek do not satisfy it. The original Star Wars trilogy does not satisfy it. In fact, the only Star Wars films that pass are Rogue One, The Force Awakens and Attack of the Clones. While researching this article, I discovered many recent films that don’t pass the test. Films like Lion, Doctor Strange, Deadpool, Captain America Civil War, Assassins Creed and even the theatrical release of Batman V Superman all fail the Bechdel test. Let’s consider how easy it is to pass this test. Attack of the Clones does it when Pademe briefly talks about politics to the new Queen of Naboo. Black Widow and Scarlett Witch do it over a radio channel in the opening minutes of Age of Ultron. Despite this, we see time and again, that films fail to have female characters talk to each other.
The Shift in the Modern Day
Recent films have been making greater attempts to appeal to both genders. It’s a subject that has made some on the Internet upset, which began with the all female cast on the 2016 Ghostbusters film. In recent years, we’ve seen a shift in film franchises that were once male dominated, which now have female leads. One of the biggest and most unexpected was Mad Max Fury Road. The marketing campaign for that film did not hint that the film was just following Max as he was swept up in Furiosa’s story. The outrage over this is something that should be talked about because it led to a new phrase being coined: The Furiosa Test. Does the film make people on the Internet angry that it’s feminist? Glib as it is, this points to real push back at the spread of more powerful female characters.
It is easy to see the main reason for this result. Mad Max, a male centered universe, was refurbished into a story about smashing an oppressive patriarchy. Both of the recent Star Wars films featured female leads. Ghostbusters used their platform to underline the problem with the male dominated industry in the portrayal of their assistant. Things are changing and there will always be people who prefer the status quo. This doesn’t mean they have a point, rather;the shift they are complaining about does exist.
Wonder Woman Shatters the Glass Ceiling
This discussion is highlighted with the release Wonder Woman, the first big budget superhero film to have both a female lead and female director. An icon of the feminist movement, Wonder Woman has long stood up for feminist rights and ideals. Unsurprisingly, the film easily passes the Bechdel Test and is the best thing to come out of the DC Extended Universe. I’d go so far as to say it manages to save it after the back-to-back disappointments of Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad.
Creative representations of women by women are crucially important today.
The film’s opening weekend smashed the box office record for any film ever directed by a woman. It’s produced well, strongly acted and genuinely entertaining and deserving of all the praise and critical acclaim it has received. It’s important to recognize just how important it was to have a film about a female superhero made by a woman. Creative representations of women by women are crucially important today. One fan expresses her joy and gratitude to Patty Jenkins, director of Wonder Woman in her review of the film below:
Watching a super hero movie directed by a woman is like putting glasses on for the first time.
I didn’t realize how much I had to squint through the “male gaze” till suddenly, miraculously, I didn’t have to.
There were absolutely NO eye candy shots of Diana. There were Amazons with ageing skin and crows feet and not ONE of them wore armor that was a glorified corset. When Diana did the superhero landing, her thigh jiggled onscreen.
Did you hear me? HER FUCKING THIGH JIGGLED. Wonder Woman’s thigh jiggled on a 20-foot tall screen in front of everyone.
Because she wasn’t there to make men drool. She wasn’t there to be sexy and alluring and flirt her way to victory, and that means she has big, muscular thighs, and when they absorb the impact of a superhero landing, they jiggle, and.that’s.WONDERFUL.
Thank you, Patty Jenkins, for giving me a movie about a woman, told by a woman,so I can see it through my eyes, not some dude bro who’s there for boobs and butts.
There is a difference. A big one. And it’s important. While women have representation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we clearly see the “male lens” that is being talked about. Scarlet Witch wears essentially a red leather corset into battle. Black Widow is standing next to team members in body armor but she is dressed in a leather cat suit. Even Wonder Woman got the “eye candy shot” treatment by Zack Snyder in Dawn of Justice in this shot.
Where the Bechdel Test stands today?
Where do we stand on the Bechdel Test today with so many recent films failing the test? Should filmmakers make concerted efforts to pass the test and promote female characters and roles? While it might help, I say no. The important point is that the Bechdel Test is a measurement tool and a very blunt one at that. Reviewing examples of films that failed to meet the test’s requirements, do they present women in misogynistic ways? Doctor Strange:both The Ancient One and Dr. Palmer are strong capable characters, who don’t put up with Steven’s attitude for very long. Every female character in Deadpool is some varying degree of badass, with Vanessa charging to fight the character, Ajax as the first opportunity. Let’s not forget that even at her most objectified, Princess Leia used the chain around her neck to strangle the slug that was holding it.
Furthermore, passing the Bechdel Test itself doesn’t weaken male characters nor does it make for a better film. In The Force Awakens, Finn and Poe are both strong complex characters. In Guardians of the Galaxy, the male leads still stand strong as their own characters. Attack of the Clones is still an uneven illogical mess of a film. Passing the test does little beyond ensuring that there are at least 2 named female characters,who exchange a few sentences.
The Bechdel Test is one means of measuring a film’s representation of women but it is by no means the only one. Filmmakers have the ability to present very strong female characters even if the films don’t pass the Bechdel Test. It is important to remember this. We need to also keep in mind the audience for a film. Women watch movies, play video games and read comics. We have seen time and again that offering a good story and complex characters in a non-objectifying role leads to box office success and critical acclaim.
Wonder Woman is perfectly relatable as she is.
While the Bechdel Test is important to keep in mind, it is not the be all and end all. Wonder Woman passes the Bechdel Test, but it isn’t a great film because of that. It presents us with a rare hero that does heroic things simply for the sake of saving others. Her worldview is consumed by duty to protect and fight for others. Wonder Woman is heroic in the classic sense of the word. In the past, every character had to be deeply flawed in some way to be more relatable. (BLOCK QUOTE) Wonder Woman is perfectly relatable as she is. Someone who wants to make the world a better place. At some point, her gender doesn’t matter because none of her character motivations come from being a woman. They come from being a hero — our hero — and this more than anything else is what brings us together under her banner.
