So some Swedish movie theaters have decided to institute a new rating system to let viewers know whether or not the films they show pass the Bechdel Test — that is, if at any point in the film two female characters have a conversation about something other than a man.
Over in the Men’s Rights subreddit, a fella with the classy handle classypedobear takes strong exception to this terrible affront to human decency. His argument?
Wait. WHAT IS WRONG WITH TALKING ABOUT KITTENS?
Thanks, AgainstMensRights subreddit!
Eh, I’m thinking more of incidental fanservice in TV shows/magazines and concerts rather than of yaoi, which often has rather creepy abusive dynamics. I don’t like manga in general, and the more yaoi-ish anime just doesn’t appeal to me at all.
Trying to watch or read yaoi just makes me wonder why the people who write it fetishize unequal relationships most of the time. BSDM I’d be fine with, but the idea that one person being controlling and abusive towards the other person is romantic gives me hives.
Also, I count stuff like “this guy has mysteriously lost his shirt for no apparent reason” as fanservice. Anything that’s there purely to appeal to the audience’s desire to letch counts, really.
@Dvärghundspossen, I have one word for you – “Miranda”
Ah, @cassandrasays, the joy of Bollywood, especially Salman Khan films. It is now established that Salman must lose his shirt in the climactic fight scene. My personal favourite was the one where the villain throws a molotov cocktail at him. Salman rips off his own shirt, beats out the flames with it & fights on. *fans self*
If only he’d paused to strangle a bad guy with it that scene would be perfect.
@ titianblue: I had to google Salman Khan, and oh, yes…
I think the comments on MensRights about having female villains was supposed to be a “gotcha feminists” response, on the basis of “well, feminists don’t want women to be portrayed in a bad light.” But I love female villains–at least if they aren’t sexpots (not a huge fan of that archetype).
I guess they’re projecting again? They resent it when they see male villains, so they assume we’d resent female villains. Because everyone is just like them!
Stop laughing, the fact that they believe that isn’t hilarious at all. You misandrist, you.
(I’m sure that Salman Khan whipping his shirt off is misandry too and someone will be along to explain why soon.)
Oh gelar, guess what…
I’m having fun imagining what these guys presume women talk about all day.
A conversation:
Fran: “BABIES BABIES MAN SHOES?”
Roberta: “TJ MAXX SALE MAKE UP GOLD DIGGING SHOES!”
Fran: “KITTEN!” 😀
Roberta: “MARRIAGE!” 😀
katz, love it! 😀
Fran : False rape accusation now?
Roberta : Not until Macy’s sale is over. Jewelry!
Haha, thank you very much, katz! I’ve been struggling to type something that doesn’t devolve into gleeful sounds, so I’m just going to go read your comics over again!
katz & gelar have made a wonderful thing.
Fran: chocolate or bonbons?
Roberta: does my arse look big in this?
Fran: kittens!
Roberta: BABY kittens!
Fran: *swoons*
Roberta : Baby kittens sitting on cupcakes while filing for divorce!
(Scented candles fall, everyone dies.)
I wonder if men (or these sorts of men) actually have worse recall of conversations between two women versus the same conversation between two men. Wouldn’t that be an interesting study?
Or the alternative ending: they are rescued by Manly Menz even though that is a terrible sacrifice to demand of Manly Menz for mere women.
kittehs – And then the women return to the kitchen, where they belong, and having learned their lesson, and the MRAs cheer. End.
That’s it, Alice!
@Katz
Pierre fresh out of the oven, good stuff!
Well, it doesn’t actually involve Pierre at all, but I did draw completely new art for each panel. I’m seriously breaking new ground here.
Clearly, Pierre is the one watching the movie. 🙂
I was thinking Pierre could have taken a job as a movie hero. But then his hat might have got knocked off in the fight.
Or – ooh – Poutine could come in, scratch the evil professor, and rescue Pierre! ‘Cos that’s what cats do.
His mustache would have to have gotten knocked off in the fight, too.
“I wonder if men (or these sorts of men) actually have worse recall of conversations between two women versus the same conversation between two men. Wouldn’t that be an interesting study?”
Yes, yes it would be. And since my brain is currently working in functions and flow charts, I’m sorta designing the method for that without wanting to >.<
To cover your bases you'd want eight groups, four male and four female, and four films — two conversations. So, for either study gender, you'd have half watching the female clip first, half watching the male clip first, and then half of those groups watching either conversation.
Covers order effect and whether the topic of conversation is the problem. (If you really wanted to be sure, double all that and have the second set watching one clip from either pair, but now we're into "really Argenti? There are 30 people in the class, you want sample sizes of 4?")