April 25, 2020

We use 3 basic tests to determine whether our subjects have any FFA.

1. The Bechdel Test

Created by cartoonist Allison Bechdel in 1985, the Bechdel Test requires that a film:

1. has to have at least two women in it,
2. who talk to each other,
3. about something other than a man.

Examples are evaluated and tracked on http://bechdeltest.com/.

2. The Mako Mori Test

Named for the main female character in the 2013 movie Pacific Rim, the Mako Mori Test was created by a Tumblr user as an expansion of the Bechdel Test. To pass the Mako Mori, a film must:

1. have at least one female character, who
2. has an independent plot arc, and
3. the character and/or her arc do not simply exist to support a male character's plot arc.

3. The Sexy Lamp Test

Captain Marvel writer Kelly Sue DeConnick invented this test as a tip for writers: “If you can replace your female character with a sexy lamp and the story still basically works, maybe you need another draft.” In other words, characters should not be plot devices based on stereotypes about how women work. This is quite possibly the hardest test to pass, because of the prevalence of storytelling tropes such as the Love Triangle (with a woman as the prize), as well as stock characters like the "Mama Bear," the "Damsel in Distress," and the "Hooker with a Heart of Gold."