Sofia Sidner, Option 1

 

 

The movie that I chose to watch was Mrs. Congeniality. This movie has been one of my favorite movies for quite some time which is why I was interested to see if it would pass the Bechdel test. Mrs. Congeniality did pass the Bechdel test, which was not surprising to me.

The main character is a woman that is an FBI agent who pretends to be a model in order to compete in the Miss America pageant. This character, known as Gracie Hart when she’s an FBI agent and Gracie Lou Freebush when she is a model, is portrayed in many different ways. She is one character that plays two different roles. When Sandra Bullock takes on the role of Gracie Hart, she is portrayed as a strong, independent, and firm woman. She is almost portrayed as masculine because she does the same things that men do – and sometimes better than the men. However, when Sandra Bullock takes on the role of Gracie Lou Freebush, she is portrayed as a ditzy girl who bases the things she does off of her good looks, not her talents.
Although the movie passes the Bechdel test, it is interesting to note what the two main characters talk about. Gracie Hart spends most of her time talking about working as an FBI agent. However, on the other hand, Gracie Lou Freebush talks about beauty, make up, boys, and the pageant. The two characters could not be more opposite – yet they are both women. Both characters are not portrayed as “normal women”. Gracie Lou Freebush and Hart take their characters to extremes – one being very masculine, the other being extremely feminine.

The outcome of the Bechdel test did not surprise me. I had a very strong feeling that it would pass, simply because Gracie Hart is portrayed as such a masculine woman that wouldn’t talk to other women about men. However, as I watched with the Bechdel test in mind, I had an interesting thought. If the movie had been different, and Gracie Hart, the masculine FBI agent, didn’t have a role and it was just Gracie Lou Freebush, it would be a lot more difficult to pass the Bechdel test.

Watching a movie with the Bechdel test in the back of your head gives the movie a whole new meaning. I would encourage everyone to watch their favorite movie to see if it would pass the Bechdel test so that they could get a different perspective on what the movie represents and how it portrays women.