Hi everyone! I recently learned about the Bechdel Test from a friend and have been wanting to write this article ever since. This test is, at its core, an analysis of how women are portrayed in popular culture. It reveals how much women tend to revolve around men in films, books, etc. To pass the test, a film (or any other work of fiction) must meet three requirements: the film must (1) have at least two named female characters (2) who talk to each other (3) about something other than a man. It seems so simple, right? Unfortunately a surprising number of films fail in at least one of these aspects. Well now it's time to see how our beloved Disney Princess movies stack up when put to the test!

Disclaimer: This article is not meant to bash any of the films or say that they are "anti-feminist," nor do I necessarily think that this test is the best way to determine if a film is "feminist" or not. I simply thought it would be fun to see which movies pass the test. You can find a lot of info on the Bechdel Test online, including different versions and criticisms of it. I am using a slightly more strict version which requires the two female characters to be named.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

1. Does the film have at least two named female characters? Unfortunately not, so Walt's first full length animated feature fails right off the bat. While there are two female characters, Snow White and the Evil Queen, the latter is not given a name in the film. It is important to note that many fans refer to the queen as Queen Grimhilde, so she may in fact have a name. However, since her name is never mentioned in the film, it fails the test.



Cinderella

1. Two named female characters? You betcha. In fact Cinderella sports four, not just two, named females: Cinderella, Lady Tremaine, Anastasia, and Drizella. If only the Fairy Godmother had a name this movie would have five! Still, this film passes the first part of the test with flying colors.
2. Do the women speak to each other? We wouldn't have a movie if they didn't. There's quite a bit of dialogue between the four of them, so Cinderella passes the second part of the test.
3. Do their conversations revolve around something other than men? Several of them do! While there is quite a bit of talk of the Prince and the Grand Duke, they also converse about the ball itself and Cinderella's duties. Thus Cinderella is the first Disney Princess film to pass the Bechdel Test!



Sleeping Beauty

1. Two named females? Sleeping Beauty does even better than Cinderella in this regard with five named women: Aurora, Flora, Fauna, Merriweather, and the unforgettable Maleficent.
2. Do they talk to each other? Again, there would be no movie if they didn't. Most of the film is the fairies' antics, and there's quite a bit of conversation sprinkled in there.
3. Do they only talk about men? While there's a good bit of conversation concerning Phillip, the majority of what the fairies talk about is Aurora herself and how to protect her from Maleficent. With that, Sleeping Beauty passes the Bechdel Test!



The Little Mermaid

1. Two named females? The Little Mermaid sports a plethora of female characters, the most prominent being Ariel and Ursula, but when you add Ariel's sisters to the list you get a grand total of eight named women! That's almost as many as Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty combined, so The Little Mermaid definitely passes the first part of the test.
2. Do they talk to each other? Ariel and Ursula have quite the conversation in Ursula's lair, so The Little Mermaid passes the second part of the test.
3. Do they only talk about men? Here is where the film that ushered in the Disney Renaissance falls short. Ariel and Ursula's conversation revolves entirely around Ariel turning human in order to woo Eric and hopefully win him so that she can remain human forever. While some might argue that the film should still pass since technically not the entire conversation is specifically about Eric, I believe that he plays such a prominent role in the conversation that the film fails.



Beauty and the Beast

1. Two named females? Beauty and the Beast just barely passes this portion of the test with exactly two named women: Mrs. Potts and Belle herself (unless of course you want to count Marie who needs to hurry up and get those baguettes).
2. Do they talk to each other? Again the movie just scrapes by with one conversation between Belle and Mrs. Potts immediately after Belle arrives at the castle and is shown to her room.
3. Do they only talk about men? Like The Little Mermaid, whether Beauty and the Beast passes in this regard could probably be argued one way or the other. Since the Beast is never specifically brought up in their conversation I'm going to allow it to pass, albeit somewhat dubiously since they are talking about how Belle has lost her freedom thanks to him.



Aladdin

1. Two named females? As the only Disney Princess film whose princess isn't the main character, it's no surprise that Aladdin fails right off the bat. Jasmine is the only major female character in the movie, let alone the only named one.



Pocahontas

1. Two named females? This film has not two but three named women: Pocahontas, Nakoma, and Grandmother Willow. While this isn't quite as many as some of the earlier Disney Princess films, it's still enough for it to pass the first portion of the test.
2. Do they talk to each other? Though Nakoma and Grandmother Willow never speak to each other, Pocahontas has a few conversations with each of them.
3. Do they only talk about men? John Smith and the settlers are a prominent topic, but Nakoma and Pocahontas have a conversation about the title character's dream. This conversation is later continued with Grandmother Willow where the topic of Pocahontas's mother is also introduced. Pocahontas decidedly passes the Bechdel Test.



Mulan

1. Two named females? Like Pocahontas, Mulan passes this portion of the test with three named women - Fa Mulan, Fa Li, and Grandmother Fa.
2. Do they talk to each other? While their conversations are minimal since the majority of the movie takes place amongst an army of men, they do converse during the scene where Mulan is being prepared to see the Matchmaker.
3. Do they only talk about men? Most of their conversation is about Mulan striking up a match with a good man, but since they mostly focus on Mulan herself and less on the men she needs to impress I will allow this film to pass. There is a short exchange between Mulan and Li about how Mulan is late which can also be taken into consideration. Like The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast it could be easily argued that Mulan should not pass this portion of the test, however I personally think it makes the cut.



The Princess and the Frog

1. Two named females? The last 2D animated princess film boasts a number of female characters including Tiana, Charlotte, Eudora, Mama Odie, and the elusive Evangeline, thus easily passing the first part of the test.
2. Do they talk to each other? Yes they do! Tiana and Charlotte have a number of conversations, and Eudora does her share of talking as well. And of course who could forget the memorable conversation with Mama Odie?
3. Do they only talk about men? Charlotte talks a lot about Naveen and Eudora pushes Tiana to find a man, but Tiana evens the score with all the talk of her restaurant. Tiana also speaks with Mama Odie about needing to be human again. It could be argued that since Tiana is building her restaurant in memory of her father all of her conversations about it are about a man. Personally, I think that's a little far-fetched, thus The Princess and the Frog passes the Bechdel Test!



Tangled

1. Two named females? This movie just barely passes the first part of the test with exactly two named women: Rapunzel and Mother Gothel.
2. Do they talk to each other? They do quite a bit of talking, some of which is even set to music. It's mostly Mother Gothel giving backhanded compliments to Rapunzel, but it still counts.
3. Do they only talk about men? Nope, Mother Gothel spends a lot of time steering Rapunzel away from the outside world, and of course there's their exchange when Rapunzel realizes that she is the lost princess. Therefore, Tangled passes the Bechdel Test.



Brave

1. Two named females? Though you'd expect a movie that's all about female empowerment to have more female characters, Brave still makes it through this part of the test with three - Merida, Elinor, and Maudie. The Witch doesn't count since she isn't named.
2. Do they talk to each other? The majority of the movie is Merida's interactions with Elinor which includes a lot of talking, although not a lot of listening in the beginning.
3. Do they only talk about men? They do talk a lot about the suitors and Elinor's desire for Merida to choose a husband, and if you were testing the film using only the spoken conversations it might not pass. However, I will include their communication while Elinor is a bear, which is hardly about men at all. And so the most recent Disney Princess film passes the Bechdel Test!



Overall

Of these eleven films only three couldn't pass the test: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Little Mermaid, and Aladdin. This is pretty good considering the fact that about half of all films ever made don't pass the test. (Surprising statistic, I know. Don't believe me? Look it up!) From this, I'd say that the Disney Princesses do a pretty good job of being their own characters instead of being defined by the men present in their films. What do you think? Is the Bechdel Test even a good measurement of such a thing? Let me know in the comments!