Furthering the Bechdel Test

[flwyd]

I was recently thinking about the Bechdel test—whether a work of fiction

1. Has at least two female characters
2. Who talk to each other
3. About something other than a man

and ways it might be extended to the next level. I like this formulation: a story

1. Has a female protagonist
2. Who completes her objective
3. And is rewarded with something other than a man

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass pass. As does The Wizard of Oz and Frozen. I suppose Island of the Blue Dolphins passes, though I'm not sure if getting off the island was the main character's goal. So there's decent success at stories targeted at young people, though Disney certainly has a history of missing the mark. In the women-killing-dangerous-enemies genre, the films Alien (and Aliens) and the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogy pass.

I then realized that I don't know, off hand, a lot of stories or films with female protagonists. And many of the ones I do know, I've forgotten what the reward is at the end of the story. I'd love to hear more stories in the comments to add to the list.

Comments

[willow_red]

From the world of television, these are the first examples that come to mind:

Buffy
(A man is sometimes the reward, but usually ends up sacrificed later to achieve a goal)

Supergirl

The new Doctor Who
(Probably; I haven't had time to watch the first episode yet, but it'd be really surprising if a man is the reward very often)