How do you measure feminism in films?

Is there a test to measure feminism in films? – Yes there is hooray! Ok so I have jumped the gun. Here’s the back story before I give you my take on the issue.

The Bechdel test was introduced by Alison Bechdel ( an American graphic novelist) in her comic strip 'Dykes to Watch Out For' (1985). In a strip titled ‘ The Rule’ two female characters  are talking to each one of them says to the other that she only watches a movie if it satisfies the three following requirements:

1.  It has to have at least two women in it,
2. Who talk to each other,
3. About something besides a man.

And here is the strip.

Image taken from http://dykestowatchoutfor.com/the-rule. There is more info about the strip on the website.

 Bechdel has been ambivalent of the test. It was never meant to be making a strong feminist statement, it was a joke. 

Ok so it doesn’t really measure feminist content or indicates if the film is feminist friendly, it does however point out that a lot of films don’t meet some of these criteria. Feminism and its portrayal is a lot more complex. The test only indicates if women are represented on screen in a certain way. Spin offs of the Bechdel test have looked at LGBT issues etc…. You get the idea. It is interesting how most popular films are not representative of minority groups …. although ones does not expect such films to be representative. A friend recently wrote about how Expendables 3 did not pass the Bechdel test, did anyone expect it would? To be self-critical I would ask why not? Why shouldn’t popular entertainment reflect my reality or a fictionalised version of it on screen? The Bechdel test does not allude to being a feminist test to point the way out, but it does point out how women don’t have any role to play in films except for filling a gap in the narrative. This does not indicate if the film is one that deserves critical attention. Popular cinema has no such responsibility, it is meant to play on our prejudices.

Feminism and other isms are complex issues that are bigger than mere representation. Popular cinema might incorporate such issues in but only throws them in the main narrative as subplots. Or when popular cinema pretends to have taken criticism of itself aboard it subverts criticism to create the same material but sells it as ethically engaging. Chick flicks are meant to be female friendly films but they end up presenting a very narrow vision of what women can be. Closer home Bollywood films claim to be empowering women by including 'item numbers' and bikini scenes. Emotive and positive terms such as empowering are misleading, but they seem to work for the filmmakers. I would like to go into detail about why I resist an emotive culture but that is for later.  Representation is important os is the quality of the narrative in which these  are involved.