Burst Your Bubble: A critical analysis of episode 18, “The Bechdel Test”
by Alida Hanson
“The Bechdel Test” is episode 18 of Morgan Jaffe’s bi-monthly podcast, “Burst Your Bubble.” It’s available on multiple podcast platforms as well as its own website. In this 25 minute episode, Jaffe invites listeners to think about their favorite movie and its representation of women. Next, Jaffe examines 17 movies from 1985, the year the Alison Bechdel created her simple “test.” A movie passes the Bechdel Test when they meet each of these conditions: 1) two women 2) talk to each other 3) about something other than a man. We are surprised (or not, depending on who we are) by the dearth of 1985 blockbuster movies that pass the Bechdel test.
Jaffe develops her idea about “testing” the representation of women in film by pointing out the shortcomings of the Bechdel test and introducing the Mako Mori test as a better measure. To pass the Mako Mori test, a film 1) has at least one female character 2) who gets her own narrative arc 3) that does not support a man’s story. Jaffe then introduces the idea of intersectionality, and how movies don’t show people of color or people who aren’t heterosexuals and cisgender. Jaffe analyzes a movie that you think would pass all of tests (“Moonlight”), finds that it doesn’t, and then closes with call to action to analyze our favorite movies and share our findings with her on social media and by email.
Morgan Jaffe is a podcaster with expertise in media literacy. Jaffe sounds like a young woman, but we are given no information about this. We might infer that Jaffe is female given the pro feminist stance of the podcast. Evidence of Jaffe’s expertise is shown in careful, concise analysis as well as the long list of Burst Your Bubble episodes, indicating creative tenacity.
The Burst Your Bubble website states that the podcast "combines racism, sexism, homophobia, and all of the other -isms and -phobias within our society and looks at them through a pop culture lens.... What is important is to dissect it and discuss it, and not just accept it as something we can not process or change." The goal is not only to raise listener’s critical consciousness about media, but also invite change. Pangrazia should listen to Burst Your Bubble because it does what she proposes as the “next generation” of digital literacy: critically analyze media through your personal lens and use that as fuel to affect change. Hobbs will also be supportive because she believes that digital literacy should lead to creation (the podcast), communication, and change: all things that Burst Your Bubble achieves.
“The Bechdel Test” presents an inclusive message. In the introduction Jaffe states "today we're going to talk about the Bechdel test and I want you to think about the movies you watch, their representation of women, and if those movies pass the Bechdel test." Jaffe doesn't say, "let's see if you are sexist," or, "let's see if your taste in movies is better than mine." She invites us all in, media nerds and regular joes, concedes that it's hard to choose a favorite movie, and then confesses that hers is Back to the Future, mentioning some of the sexist and racist aspects of the movies. We are made comfortable by the mainstream choice with which most of us are familiar, and the prediction that it will probably not pass the Bechdel Test.
Purpose and Message
Morgan Jaffe is a podcaster with expertise in media literacy. Jaffe sounds like a young woman, but we are given no information about this. We might infer that Jaffe is female given the pro feminist stance of the podcast. Evidence of Jaffe’s expertise is shown in careful, concise analysis as well as the long list of Burst Your Bubble episodes, indicating creative tenacity.
The Burst Your Bubble website states that the podcast "combines racism, sexism, homophobia, and all of the other -isms and -phobias within our society and looks at them through a pop culture lens.... What is important is to dissect it and discuss it, and not just accept it as something we can not process or change." The goal is not only to raise listener’s critical consciousness about media, but also invite change. Pangrazia should listen to Burst Your Bubble because it does what she proposes as the “next generation” of digital literacy: critically analyze media through your personal lens and use that as fuel to affect change. Hobbs will also be supportive because she believes that digital literacy should lead to creation (the podcast), communication, and change: all things that Burst Your Bubble achieves.
“The Bechdel Test” presents an inclusive message. In the introduction Jaffe states "today we're going to talk about the Bechdel test and I want you to think about the movies you watch, their representation of women, and if those movies pass the Bechdel test." Jaffe doesn't say, "let's see if you are sexist," or, "let's see if your taste in movies is better than mine." She invites us all in, media nerds and regular joes, concedes that it's hard to choose a favorite movie, and then confesses that hers is Back to the Future, mentioning some of the sexist and racist aspects of the movies. We are made comfortable by the mainstream choice with which most of us are familiar, and the prediction that it will probably not pass the Bechdel Test.
Jaffe's “confession” helps us be honest in our thinking about our favorite movies,and frees us from worry about being invisibly judged through the airwaves by “the expert.” Another way that Jaffe makes us feel safe is through tone and prosody. Jaffe's voice is calm, cool and collected. The pace is natural and the dialogue is scripted. We feel like everything is under control. The only extemporaneous speaking happens when Jaffe thanks the illustrator, which is warm and charming.
The Bechdel Test has structure. It opens with a pitch of what's to come, then a bit of music, followed by the body, an extemporaneous shout out to a colleague, a call to action, and the closing.
Sound also marks internal segmentation. We hear two types of electronica music. The first is serious, almost monotone. It plays softly after the introduction and during two "serious thinking" sections where we are asked to ponder the essential questions of the podcast. The second is a lively iteration of the electronica. It signals the conclusion, making us feel happy that we’ve done something useful and excited for the next episode.
Sound also figures largely in the body of The Bechdel Test. Jaffe discusses nineteen different movies from 1985 and plays a clip from each. This is effective: the podcast is about lack of women's voices in film, and almost every voice we hear in the film clips is male. We also hear gunshots, car crashes, helicopter blades chopping, slashing swords, and other typical action movie sounds. This remix is a significant 8 minutes of the 25 minute podcast. The movie clips are the problem Jaffe discusses. We weary of the sound of men's voices and gunshots. At 13:48 we welcome the calming electronica that signals "thinking" and a pivot to developing the essential questions of the podcast.
In addition, the listener is invited to participate during the podcast. Jaffe opens the episode with the words, “Oh, hi friend,” connecting, acknowledging, and welcoming the listener. Jaffe then asks listeners to think of their favorite movie and whether it passes the Bechdel test. In closing we are invited to communicate with Jaffe and the larger world through email and social media about our favorite movies and how they do on the Bechdel and Mako Mori tests.
Pangrazia and Hobbs agree that media affects people differently and The Bechdel Test is no exception. Hollywood industry might say that this episode misses the point: making movies is a business and their job is to make money, not bring about social justice. How many women, people of color, transgender and LGBTQ people earn a living in the film industry? Do sexist blockbusters help or hurt these people? In addition, people who consider themselves conservatives or republicans, or "just plain ordinary folks" might roll their eyes and dismiss the message as taking "mindless" entertainment too seriously.
Interpretation of the podcast also depends on where the listener is on the scale of critical consciousness about representations of women in the media. Those are aware will be interested in the development of intersectionality and the Mako Mori test. People with beginning awareness will benefit from the Bechdel Test. White women may bristle at the notion that theirs is a privileged feminism. People of color, gay people, and transgender people may be discouraged or irritated by the focus on the Bechdel test.
This is a podcast for media nerds who are comfortable analyzing all kinds of media and treating them equally. This is shown when we are asked to compare Virginia Woolf and Back to the Future. It also skews for listeners in their 20s and 30s. It assumes that listeners are aware of movies from 1985. However, 1985 is viewed with nostalgia rather than first hand experience. People in their 20s and 30s think the 80s had charming, quirky popular culture. Many of us who were in their teens and 20s during that time (me!) thought popular culture, especially movies, was at a nadir.
The Bechdel Test acknowledges listeners who are familiar with media literacy and feminism and intersectionality. Jaffe addresses viewers who may be saturated with think pieces on the Bechdel test, and also apologizes for and minimizes her dissatisfaction with how the media community has privileged one of Bechdel's white comic strip characters over a black character, suggesting this is a familiar argument in Jaffe's intellectual community.
I did not see any advertising on Stitcher, Soundcloud or the Burst Your Bubble website, which indicates that Jaffe is not taking payments for the podcast. I don’t know how or if Burst Your Bubble makes money, or how many listeners it has.
Only mainstream movies are analyzed; nothing art house. This is significant because we are asked to consider Virginia Woolf, who, while famous, is not read by the general public. It would have been interesting to investigate which movies were pounding the Bechdel Test into the ground! And what if nothing was? That would be powerful.
No mention was made of movies from years other than 1985. While centering on that year is an effective organizational technique, there was a time in early Hollywood where many popular movies would have passed the Bechdel test. The story isn’t complete without that information.
We don't hear why movies can be made to fit a certain monotonous formula, or how the movies change during the production process from initial treatments. Do initial treatments start out failing the Bechdel and Mako Mori tests, or does Hollywood require it? I would have been interested to hear a film producer, screenwriter, actor or agent react to the Bechdel and Mako Mori tests on their movies.
Finally, the audio clips from the analyzed movies are cherry picked to show a male centered attitude, violence, crashing sounds, or ridiculous dialogue. However, I don't think it's extreme because all of the movies we heard clips from were over the top.
Creative Techniques
The Bechdel Test has structure. It opens with a pitch of what's to come, then a bit of music, followed by the body, an extemporaneous shout out to a colleague, a call to action, and the closing.
Sound also marks internal segmentation. We hear two types of electronica music. The first is serious, almost monotone. It plays softly after the introduction and during two "serious thinking" sections where we are asked to ponder the essential questions of the podcast. The second is a lively iteration of the electronica. It signals the conclusion, making us feel happy that we’ve done something useful and excited for the next episode.
Sound also figures largely in the body of The Bechdel Test. Jaffe discusses nineteen different movies from 1985 and plays a clip from each. This is effective: the podcast is about lack of women's voices in film, and almost every voice we hear in the film clips is male. We also hear gunshots, car crashes, helicopter blades chopping, slashing swords, and other typical action movie sounds. This remix is a significant 8 minutes of the 25 minute podcast. The movie clips are the problem Jaffe discusses. We weary of the sound of men's voices and gunshots. At 13:48 we welcome the calming electronica that signals "thinking" and a pivot to developing the essential questions of the podcast.
In addition, the listener is invited to participate during the podcast. Jaffe opens the episode with the words, “Oh, hi friend,” connecting, acknowledging, and welcoming the listener. Jaffe then asks listeners to think of their favorite movie and whether it passes the Bechdel test. In closing we are invited to communicate with Jaffe and the larger world through email and social media about our favorite movies and how they do on the Bechdel and Mako Mori tests.
Different interpretations
Pangrazia and Hobbs agree that media affects people differently and The Bechdel Test is no exception. Hollywood industry might say that this episode misses the point: making movies is a business and their job is to make money, not bring about social justice. How many women, people of color, transgender and LGBTQ people earn a living in the film industry? Do sexist blockbusters help or hurt these people? In addition, people who consider themselves conservatives or republicans, or "just plain ordinary folks" might roll their eyes and dismiss the message as taking "mindless" entertainment too seriously.
Interpretation of the podcast also depends on where the listener is on the scale of critical consciousness about representations of women in the media. Those are aware will be interested in the development of intersectionality and the Mako Mori test. People with beginning awareness will benefit from the Bechdel Test. White women may bristle at the notion that theirs is a privileged feminism. People of color, gay people, and transgender people may be discouraged or irritated by the focus on the Bechdel test.
Lifestyles, values and points of views presented
This is a podcast for media nerds who are comfortable analyzing all kinds of media and treating them equally. This is shown when we are asked to compare Virginia Woolf and Back to the Future. It also skews for listeners in their 20s and 30s. It assumes that listeners are aware of movies from 1985. However, 1985 is viewed with nostalgia rather than first hand experience. People in their 20s and 30s think the 80s had charming, quirky popular culture. Many of us who were in their teens and 20s during that time (me!) thought popular culture, especially movies, was at a nadir.
The Bechdel Test acknowledges listeners who are familiar with media literacy and feminism and intersectionality. Jaffe addresses viewers who may be saturated with think pieces on the Bechdel test, and also apologizes for and minimizes her dissatisfaction with how the media community has privileged one of Bechdel's white comic strip characters over a black character, suggesting this is a familiar argument in Jaffe's intellectual community.
What is omitted?
I did not see any advertising on Stitcher, Soundcloud or the Burst Your Bubble website, which indicates that Jaffe is not taking payments for the podcast. I don’t know how or if Burst Your Bubble makes money, or how many listeners it has.
Only mainstream movies are analyzed; nothing art house. This is significant because we are asked to consider Virginia Woolf, who, while famous, is not read by the general public. It would have been interesting to investigate which movies were pounding the Bechdel Test into the ground! And what if nothing was? That would be powerful.
No mention was made of movies from years other than 1985. While centering on that year is an effective organizational technique, there was a time in early Hollywood where many popular movies would have passed the Bechdel test. The story isn’t complete without that information.
We don't hear why movies can be made to fit a certain monotonous formula, or how the movies change during the production process from initial treatments. Do initial treatments start out failing the Bechdel and Mako Mori tests, or does Hollywood require it? I would have been interested to hear a film producer, screenwriter, actor or agent react to the Bechdel and Mako Mori tests on their movies.
Finally, the audio clips from the analyzed movies are cherry picked to show a male centered attitude, violence, crashing sounds, or ridiculous dialogue. However, I don't think it's extreme because all of the movies we heard clips from were over the top.
References
Hamenahem, Y. S. (2013, January). Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo in First Blood (1982) [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Rambo.jpg
Hobbs, R. (2017). Create to learn: Introduction to digital literacy. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Blackwell.
Jaffe, M. (Producer). (2018, November). The Bechdel Test [Show #18]. Burst Your Bubble. Podcast retrieved from http://www.burstyourbubblepodcast.com/
Pangrazio, L. (2016). Reconceptualizing digital literacy. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 37(2).
What a cool idea of Jaffe to apply the Bechdel Test to a bunch of movies released the same (random) year. I enjoyed your analysis of Jaffe’s radio personality & presentation style. She definitely has a warm, friendly tone. I also agree that her episodes are well edited and balanced. The episode that I listened to had at least five types of sources intercut into the podcast. I just rewatched Lena Dunham’s Tiny Furniture. I’m afraid it may not pass the Bechdel Test. Any opinion? Extra Points for the Rambo header!
ReplyDeleteHi Tim, I've never seen Tiny Furniture. And I am amazed that it wouldn't pass the Bechdel Test--or am? ;) Thinking back on Girls, would that pass the Bechdel Test?
DeleteApplying the Bechdel Test to movies this was something new to me. Thank you for giving a good description about the podcast you listened to. I enjoyed reading your post about Morgan Jaffe, and especially liked the points that you mentioned at the end about what you think was omitted. I know I definitely would have wanted to know what the producers thought about this test.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your feedback, Denise. It's funny, I first heard about this test years after reading "Fun House" and "Are You My Mother," Bechdel's two graphic novels. I heard about it from a student at my school who graduated four years ago. Lo and behold, who stops by to visit two days after I write this LEAP? That student! I reported back to her about this and she was amused!
DeleteI loved reading your post on the "Burst Your Bubble" podcast about Bechdel Tests in relation to movies from 1985. The way you organized your post made for easy reading and understanding. You gave a well written summary of the podcast and analysis. My favorite part was your section on Different Interpretations. Great post!
ReplyDeleteHi Erica, thank you for reading the post. I'm glad it was easy to read-that's why I used the heading. I was a little worried about what I wrote in Different Interpretations because I don't like to seem cynical or disagreeable. I'm not used to to anticipating different interpretations.
Delete