Media test

A media test, also known as a critique test, is a means by which reviewers of media works may test the relevance or utility of a film or other narrative work. Many of the tests are meant to critique the prevalence or bias of writers to standard tropes involving suspect classes of society, such as gender, skin color, ablement or sexual orientation. In the case of feminist media tests, the goal is to evaluate perceived imbalances in the depiction of women and gender relations in both fiction and nonfiction creative works. 

Feminist fiction tests

Bechdel test

The Bechdel test, also known as the Bechdel-Wallace test, is a test to determine whether fiction works are able to depict the non-centricity of males to female conversations. 

Mako Mori test

The Mako Mori test attempts to test the non-centricity of men to a woman character's own narrative arc.

Ellen Willis test

The Ellen Willis test determines whether a work's depiction of at least two related characters would work if the genders of the characters were flipped. 

Sexy Lamp test

The Sexy Lamp test (coined by Kelly Sue DeConnick) determines the validity of a female character's position in a work. The test is failed if she could be replaced by a "sexy" lamp and the work's plot wouldn't fall apart. Examples of failures, when a female character's role is limited to any of the following:

• being "fridged"
• otherwise inspiring a male character's actions and plot
• being fought or competed over/for
• being a living MacGuffin.

Similar to the Bechdel Test, this is a rough litmus test, but with clearer implications for failing. A work that fails the Sexy Lamp Test has reduced its female character(s) to extremely objectified position, with little to no agency, and no importance to the plot as an active character.

Tauriel test

The Tauriel test attempts to test the film's depiction of a woman character who is competent at her occupation. 

Raleigh Becket test

The Raleigh Becket test (coined by geekalitarian) evaluates a film by a central male character whose narrative needs the development of a female character but is precluded from being sexually or romantically involved with the character.  

Attempted combination tests

As knowledge and application of the tests has grown for works of fiction, some have proposed combinations of the above tests to raise expectations beyond mere quality or quantity. While a few bloggers on Tumblr and Wordpress (as well as an article on Autostraddle) have applied Bechdel and Mako Mori together, Tumblr user locuas642 has proposed the following omnibus test (called the "Crystal Gems test"):

1. A work has to Have at least four female Characters;
2. It must pass the Bechdel Test;
3. It must pass the Mako Mori Test;
4. It must pass the Sexy Lamp Test;
5. You must be able to pick from each character one of the passed tests that does not repeat. only exception is the Bechdel Test, since that includes two;
6. the more times you can repeat the previous step, the better.

Feminist nonfiction tests

Finkbeiner test

The Finkbeiner test seeks to determine the non-fictional depiction of a real-life woman by her own merit rather than her relationship with a male spouse or children. 

Feminist-inclusive tests

Vito Russo test

The Vito Russo test, developed by members at GLAAD and named after a pivotal co-founder, determines the inclusiveness of a creative work by the placing of an openly-LGBT character in a pivotal role that is nondependent on their sexual orientation or gender identity.  

Deggans' rule

Deggans' rule, coined by TV critic Eric Deggans, seeks to determine inclusivity by the inclusion of two people of color in the main cast of a narrative that is not about race.  

Other racial tests

• Latoya Peterson has some drafts of a race version of the Bechdel test: racialicious.com
• Alaya Dawn Johnson posted the literal race version of the test and applied it to science fiction at The Angry Black Woman
• Ars Marginal posted a version that required: "a movie must have: at least one named character of color, whose primary trait is not their race, who does something important besides help a White person." [1]

Lauredhel test for toys

Lauredhel made a variant for children's toys, regarding whether there were two girls depicted in an advertisement and whether they were playing at being stereotypical women or not at Hoyden About Town

External links

• Roundup of tests