Representation in the Film Industry

How much representation was in the movie? Would you say that many people watching the movie could see themselves represented on screen? Chances are, the majority of the cast of the movie was white and an even larger majority was probably male. If you are a straight white guy, you probably don’t think about the lack of representation in the film industry--why would you? There are other movies that have women and POC in them (but are there? We’ll get to that). Even if you aren’t a straight white guy, you might not have realized the lack of representation in the film industry, but once you see it, you can’t unsee it.

Let’s go back to the last movie you watched. Does it pass the Bechdel Test? The Bechdel test was created by Alison Bechdel in 1985, and the creator herself has acknowledged its flawed existence. The Bechdel test asks two questions of a movie: Are there (at least) two named female characters, and do these two female characters have a conversation together about something other than a man. Does the last movie you watched pass? You might be surprised at the number of films that fail to pass such simple requirements; a couple movies that fail to pass are Doctor Strange, Thor Ragnorok, and The Secret Life of Pets.

Now, the Bechdel test is an extremely rudimentary and simple test of equal representation in films. The Bechdel test fails to mention people of color, people in the LGBT+ community, or people with disabilities. The test also doesn’t require that the women have three-dimensional characters or are anything aside from the simplest of stereotypes. Women in film are often one sided and dependent on the men in the film. In addition they rarely play a more important role than as a plot point or problem for the man. In pointing any of this out, I am not saying that every movie needs to represent every person on the planet, that would be impossible based on how many people there are, but it is important that every child (and adult) can see someone like them on screen who they can look up to. Can you think of any movies that would not pass the “reverse” Bechdel test? Do any of your favorite movies have two named male characters having a conversation about something other than a woman? Probably most of them. If any don’t, let me know because I would love to watch that movie.

I took an informal poll of how well some of my peers feel represented in the film industry: 66% (50 individuals) said they do while 34% (26 individuals) said they don’t. I also asked what people would like to see more representation for and here are some of the answers that I agree are particularly under represented:

Why is there such a lack of representation in films? One issue is the small amount of women, LGBT+ individuals, and POC who are directors, writers, and people with power in the film industry. In 2018, there were 5 female directors out of 112 total. If directors and writers were more often women, LGBT+, and POC, would there be such a representation disparity?