Game of Thrones vs. the Bechdel/Wallace Test
Let's talk about the Bechdel/Wallace Test.
...no, let's not, because that would warrant a whole entry by itself. Read the Wikipedia article if you'd like more information. Let me just give you the short version ( Read more... )
...no, let's not, because that would warrant a whole entry by itself. Read the Wikipedia article if you'd like more information. Let me just give you the short version ( Read more... )
IIRC - strictly speaking - if it's a fetus, it's got a distinct sex (the anatomically indistinguishable sexual organs develop into a proto-clitoris-and-vagina-combo or proto-penis-and-testicle-combo at around 7-8 weeks, when the ickle thing is still an embryo). In other words, by the time you know for certain that your missing period is not just a random fluke, the genetically fixed sex will already have made an impact on the anatomy.
As talking about pregnancy invariably implicates the man who was involved in the conception, though, I don't think this counts as a pass anyway.
I'm intrigued that the original Bechdel test doesn't require a name! It's a sensible modification, though - otherwise, every conversation a female character has with some random female passer-by about what time it is, or every time a female character talks to the nameless female supermarket clerk ("How are you today?" - "Fine, thanks!" - "That's 15 bucks 95 cents, do you need a bag?" - "No, thanks. I'll pay by debit card, if that's okay?" - "Sure! ... Please enter your pin." - "There you go!" - "All right! Have a nice day!") would pass the Bechdel test. Hurrah. ;)
That said, I'm actually surprised that so many episodes pass. If I'd guessed beforehand, I probably would've expected no more than ONE conversation that qualifies. XD
Good luck with your exams!
Reply
Thanks for clearing that up! :D (And for unintentionally highlighting my typo ;))
Well, in the next scene Irri tells Rakharo that Danaerys hasn't bled for two months, so we're definitely in fixed-sex-territory. But again: they don't know that.
As talking about pregnancy invariably implicates the man who was involved in the conception, though, I don't think this counts as a pass anyway.
Implication is one thing, actual mentioning another. If you're that strict, you can hardly count any of the conversations, as in the world of the show pretty much everything women do revolves around making a good wife some day, so basically anything any of them ever say implicates some man or another. In the pilot, when Cersei is asking Sansa a lot of questions about herself, are we meant to discount this because Cersei is clearly asking all this because Sansa is meant to marry Cersei's son? When Mordane compliments Sansa's needlework, is this a fail because in that world, saying "what fine stitches, my lady" basically says "that's a skill to impress a prospective husband with"?
I'm intrigued that the original Bechdel test doesn't require a name! It's a sensible modification, though - otherwise, every conversation a female character has with some random female passer-by about what time it is, or every time a female character talks to the nameless female supermarket clerk ("How are you today?" - "Fine, thanks!" - "That's 15 bucks 95 cents, do you need a bag?" - "No, thanks. I'll pay by debit card, if that's okay?" - "Sure! ... Please enter your pin." - "There you go!" - "All right! Have a nice day!") would pass the Bechdel test. Hurrah. ;)
Actually I wouldn't see a problem with that. Tiny and irrelevant as it may be, what is being depicted is still a part of a woman's life that does not revolve around a man.
Good luck with your exams!
Thanks! :)
Reply
Personally I'd say that yes, the "daughter-in-law" thing makes a (half-?)fail because obviously, nobody is planning to marry Sansa to another woman. The needlework is definitely a pass - I don't think a prospective husband would pay much attention to it (unless it were bad), it's more something the prospective mother-in-law might care about, but in general, being able to sew and embroider properly simply is a useful skill, whether for a maiden, a mother, a spinster or a widow. In fact, it might as well imply that "Even if everything turns to dust, you could still make a living for yourself by sewing or mending clothes." ...
Occupations - whether for recreation, profit or The Future (TM)- are pretty good Bechdel-passing territory, I think.
ETA: I do have to admit that I'm sort of unclear on the pregnancy issue, though -- I think if two women were talking and one would tell the other about the effects pregnancy has on her (morning sickness, perpetual exhaustion, funny cravings, you know the cliches), I'd count that as a pass; but if the focus is on "now we're a real family" or "yay, heir!", I'd consider it a fail. ^^
Actually I wouldn't see a problem with that. Tiny and irrelevant as it may be, what is being depicted is still a part of a woman's life that does not revolve around a man.
I'm a bit more choosy, then. If that's the ONLY incidence of two women talking to each other (whether at all or without mentioning a guy), it's definitely not enough as far as I'm concerned. ^^
Reply
Leave a comment