8 Reasons Why The 100 Kicks Ass
The 100 is an amazing show, especially in relation to itās female representation. Here are 8 things that The 100 is doing right.
1.Ā Ā Ā Passes the Bechdel Test
does the story have a) more than one woman, b) who talk to each other, c) about something other than a man
The relationships between women is one of the highlights of this show. With the exception of Raven and Clarke on occasion, there are practically no interactions between women regarding men. Period.Ā
Ex. Clarke & Octavia, Clarke & Lexa, Octavia & Indra, Clarke & Anya (etc.)
2. Ā Ā Passes The PantomimeĀ Test
The female character can be swapped with a male character, with little to no edits, and the narrative still makes sense
If you use Clarke as an example, yes. Clarke is not overtly masculine, but nor does she use her femininity/sexuality to advance herself. She is notlimited or treated differently because she is a woman. She is made a leader of the 100 because she is smart and brave and caring, not because of her femininity, and could therefore be replaced by a man.
3.Ā Ā Ā Passes The Oracle Test
The show has a disabled character who a) is not there āto be fixedā; b) whose narrative does not revolve around the disability; c) does their job while having a disability, not in spite of having a disability.
Raven Reyes became disabled in S2 and has continued to me an amazingly strong character and awesome mechanic throughout the season.
4.Ā Ā Ā Passes the Mako Mori Test
the show has: a) at least one female character; b) who gets her own narrative arc; c) that is not about supporting a manās story.
This show has females with their own arc practically every episode because they all have their own skills and strengths that make them play an important role in their society.
Ex: Abby Griffin, Octavia Blake, Lexa, Clarke Griffin, Anya, Raven Reyes (etc.)
5.Ā Ā Ā Passes the Vito Russo Test
The show has a character that is identifiably lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender a) who must not be solely or predominantly defined by their sexual orientation or gender identity b) and must be tied into the plot in such a way that their removal would have a significant effect.
Commander Lexa is LGBTQ (likely queer), however this is not her predominant identifying factor, she is a strong warrior and leader of a large clan. Lexa also plays a large role in the show, forming an alliance between the grounders and the sky people.
UPDATE: Clarke Griffin, has been established as bisexual. The 100 is not a show about romance, and regardless of gender, Clarke is not defined by her sexual orientation in any way. Clarke is the main characterĀ of the show, making her the only lead character on a CW show EVER to be recongnized as LGBTQ.
6.Ā Ā Ā Passes Deggans Rule
The show has at least two non-white human characters in the main cast a) in a show thatās not about race.
This rule is passed by a landslide with characters like: Bellamy Blake, Wells Jaha, Marcus Kane, Thelonious Jaha, Lincoln, Indra, Anya, Monty Green, Miller (+more)
7.Ā Ā Ā Passes the Phyrne Fisher Test
The show has a female character who a) has a traditionally masculine job; b) does not masculinize herself for the sake of the job; c) and is not sexualized in the narrative.
Raven Reyes is a mechanic, Byrne is the Chief of the Guard and Lexa is the leader of a large group of warriors.
Mechanics, and leaders of a military force are both traditionally positions held only by men. These women are respected for their work and there is no scandalization in regard to a woman holding these positions.
8.Ā Ā Ā Passes the Delany (Tauriel) Test
The show has a woman, a) who has a job/task important to the plot of the story b) and is successful at it.
Raven Reyes, Abby Griffin (+more)
Raven is the youngest zero-gravity mechanic on the Ark in 52 years and helps her people countless times throughout the course of the series. Abby is the head of medical on the Ark, and saves peopleās lives (Thelonious, Raven, Lincoln) regularly.
+ Bonus: The Sexy Lamp Test (as suggested by kirkwallersā)
- If a female character can be removed from the story and replaced by a sexy lampāif, that is, the female character does nothing and says nothing that is relevant to the story, with the possible exception of existing as a motivating factor or quest objectāthen the story fails the test.
- None of the women on this show are thereĀ āfor decorationā. This show is lady-driven and every single one of them is relevant and important to the plot of the show. Anybody whoās seen the show would admit that without the women everybody would have died in Season 1.Ā
- Ex: There is not one woman who does not pass.
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