iâm sure this has all been said before but itâs so fucking tiring to read article after article and post after post by straight (or even just non-lesbian) feminists waxing poetic about the bechdel test. like yeah, obviously itâs indicative of a massive issue w the representation of women in media and a useful tool to gauge the failings of hollywood and big time show writers or whatever
but that wasnât what it was fucking intended for. it was never about all women, it was about the lesbian experience. it was about the overwhelming loneliness of the lesbian identity and how far removed you feel from media. i feel this every day, and i have for the last decade that iâve been out
itâs infuriating to watch straight women talk about the bechdel test at all (âmy show is different â even though theyâre talking about men, the story is about their friendship. itâs like turning the bechdel test on its headâ) and even MORESO when theyâre fucking criticizing it (âthe bechdel test isnât the end all be all⊠films can still be feminist and not pass it. films that donât pass can be even more feminist than films that do!â)
itâs likeâŠ. the name of the fucking strip has the word âdykeâ in it. have you all ever considered once that the original comic wasnât ever meant for your consumption at all? have you ever thought about the fact that alison bechdel was writing as a lesbian about her lesbian experiences and that maybe, just maybe, this isnât some generic feminist concept but instead a description of a lesbian-specific experience?
and the thing is that the liberal feminist application of the bechdel test has been criticized for not being intersectional â which it isnât! movies about gay men and men of color are still incredibly groundbreaking and significant to our culture even though they âfailâ the bechdel test
and that is LITERALLY BECAUSE the bechdel test wasnât ever fucking MEANT to be the Generic Feminism Test Of Diversity And Equality â it was commentary specific to the lesbian experience when engaging with media
straight feminists historically hated and excluded lesbian feminists (and many do to this day lmao) but still, as always, want to co-opt and misappropriate our writing, concepts, and experiences to suit their needs
