User:Yasbreeze/sandbox

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The character of Mako Mori was first portrayed by Rinko Kikuchi (pictured)

The Mako Mori Test[edit]

The Mako Mori test is a set of requirements designed to measure the level of gender equality within a film or television show, though it can also be used to measure gender equality within other fictional works. The test originated online from the Tumblr user Chalia who created test, inspired by the character of Mako Mori from Pacific Rim, and a discourse they had with another user Spider-Xan[1] about the fact that though the film had good representation of women it would not have passed the Bechdel Test, an existing assessment of gender representation.

The requirements of the Mako Mori test are that a film or television show has at least one female character and that this character has an independent plot arch and that the character or her arch does not simply exist to support a male character’s plot arch.[2]

Since it’s conception the Mako Mori Test has gained consistent use as a measure of gender equality in film and other fictional works with the majority of the discussion on the subject centred in online platforms.

Origins[edit]

Feminism and Gender Theory[edit]

Gender portrayal in media and fiction, especially within film has been discussed and problematised since the early days of the feminist movement. One of the first examples of this is Virginia Woolf's 1929 essay A Room Of One's Own[3] where she discusses how the world would be changed if Shakespeare had been female. Since Woolf's essay many scholars have questioned not only the level of representation that women receive in media and film but also how women are represented within these modes. Many film and gender theories have been produced through these discussions such as Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze which suggests that all films are created within an inherently patriarchal system and that any vision within them has a male gaze[4], Judith Butler's Gender Performativity which argues that all gender is a performance and constructed by society[5] and Queer Theory which is a field of critical theory which expands on gender theory a deals with the culturally constructed nature of the perception of homosexuality and gender normatively.

The Bechdel Test[edit]

While these theories question gender representation in film, the Bechdel test, which is a close companion of the Mako Mori test seeks to measure the gender representation within film and other fiction. The requirements of the Bechdel test[6][7] are that

  • A film must have at least 2 female characters (in some cases it is stipulated that these characters must be named and credited),
  • That these characters have an on-screen conversation with each other,
  • Where they talk about something other than a man or a heterosexual relationship that they are in.

Through these requirements, the Bechdel test attempts to highlight films that fail to proportionately represent women[6][7]. The Mako Mori test was created through discourse that questioned the Bechdel tests ability to successfully do this. Highlighting the film Pacific Rim and specifically the character of Mako Mori, who is not only a female character but also a person of colour. Fans of the film questioned the validity of the Bechdel test as Pacific Rim does not pass that test but features a female supporting character that they feel is a very good representation of a female character. From discussion about this on Tumblr, the Mako Mori test was proposed as an alternative to the Bechdel test[8].

Pacific Rim[edit]

Pacific Rim panel at the San Diego Comic-Con 2012

The Mako Mori test is named after and based on the character of Mako Mori from the action/ sci-fi film Pacific Rim. The character is credited with being an example of good female representation within a film of this genre. The character, though a supporting character is given her one independent story arch and avoids many of the sexist stereotypes that often accompany women in film (especially in this genre) of over sexualisation and lack of agency.[9] These attributes that Mako Mori is credited with lead the conceivers of the Mako Mori test to stress the importance of the substance of the character and how they are written over the more quantitative requirements of the Bechdel test.

Pacific Rim: Uprising[edit]

Conversely the sequel of Pacific Rim, Pacific Rim: Uprising does not pass the Mako Mori test. The character still exists within the film, though she is given less of a substantial story arch within the film and therefore does not pass the test. This shift has been greatly criticised by fans of the movie series as well as fans of the test itself.[10]

Response[edit]

Since the Mako Mori test was proposed in 2013 it has seen significant growth and recognition online, with many people acknowledging its worth as a tool to measure the representations of gender in popular media. Unlike the Bechdel test the Mako Mori test has yet to see wide recognition in scholarly works though this follows a similar pattern to the Bechdel test which originated in - insert date - and saw its first use in scholarship in - insert date -.

Part of the online response to the Mako Mori test has been the attempt at collating lists of films that do and do not pass the test. This is similar to the response of the Bechdel test where fairly exhaustive lists now exist, retrospectively judging films for their gender representation as well as judging new films. Notably Swiss cinema - insert here - use the Bechdel test as a means of advertisement for films, publicising whether or not the film has passed on their film posters.

List of Films That Pass The Mako Mori Test[edit]

A significant number of films are said to pass the Mako Mori test[11], varying in age and place of production.

Film Date Director
The Passion of Joan of Arch 1928
Snow White
The Wizard of Oz
Dark Victory
The Women
Dance, Girl, Dance
Cat People
Shadow of a Doubt
The Spiral Staircase
The Dark Mirror
Black Angel
The Red House

Controversy[edit]

While the Mako Mori test was created to address criticism of the Bechdel test, it itself

Disney[edit]

A significant number of Disney films pass the Mako Mori test, with Disney films consistently passing the test throughout the years. Despite this there is significant controversy surrounding the representation of gender within Disney films. Many of the children's films are flagged as showing sexist representations of women and showing story lines that force women to rely on men. This controversy has been documented with reference to the Bechdel test and the fact that similarly to the Mako Mori test, many Disney films pass the Bechdel test though this does not nessacerily relate to the films success in providing equal gender representation. While this is beginning to change and Disney is beginning to show strong, independent female characters such as Elsa from their 2013 film Frozen,[12] Merida from 2012 film Brave or Moana from 2016 film Moana, many people still view Disney's representation of women and the characterisation of their princess' problematic.

Cinderella[edit]

Disney's 1950 animated film Cinderella is an example of a film that passes both the Mako Mori test and the Bechdel test despite having questionable representations of women. The film features a range of female characters including the namesake Cinderella, the step mother Lady Tremaine, the step sisters Anastasia and Drizella Tremaine and the Fairy Godmother. These characters all have have independent plot arch's and do not exist to support a male character or a male characters plot arch. However these character have been described as falling into the categories of 'passive heroine' or 'female villain' with the effect of this being linked to 'Disney [becoming] responsible for amplifying the already sexist stereotype of womanhood represented within [orally told fairy tales]'[13] These issues being extended to suggesting that the film propagates ideas that 'passivity, victimisation, feminine charm, and physical beauty are the necessary precursors to marriage and fortune.'[13]

Mulan[edit]

Mulan, another animated Disney film made in 1998 is one of the first Disney films to completely reject the 'princess' stereotype which is featured in so many Disney films. While Arial, Belle and Pocahontas where all described as a new type of Disney heroine and subverting the original stereotypes of Disney princess's and pursuing at the time of there release t

Reference List[edit]

  1. ^ "The Amazing Spider-Xan!". The Amazing Spider-Xan!. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
  2. ^ Team, The WIFTV (2014-01-28). "The Bechdel & Mako Mori Test". Women in Film and Television Vancouver Blog. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
  3. ^ Woolf, Virginia. (2019). A Room of One's Own. Alma Books. ISBN 9780714549491. OCLC 1090988413.
  4. ^ Mulvey, Laura (1991), "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema", Feminisms, Macmillan Education UK, pp. 432–442, ISBN 9780333579367, retrieved 2019-05-12
  5. ^ Meyerhoff, Miriam (2014-11-17), Bolin, Anne; Whelehan, Patricia (eds.), "Gender performativity", The International Encyclopedia of Human Sexuality, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, pp. 1–4, doi:10.1002/9781118896877.wbiehs178, ISBN 9781118896877, retrieved 2019-05-12
  6. ^ a b Bechdel, Alison, 1960-. Dykes to watch out for. Ithaca, New York. ISBN 0932379176. OCLC 14166122.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ a b "September 2018". TAPPI Journal. 17 (09). 2018-10-01. doi:10.32964/tj17.09. ISSN 0734-1415.
  8. ^ "Can You Tell If a Movie's Sexist? The Mako Mori Test Can Help". bust.com. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
  9. ^ COKER, CAIT, "THE MAKO MORI FAN CLUB", Dis-Orienting Planets, University Press of Mississippi, pp. 204–217, ISBN 9781496811561, retrieved 2019-05-12
  10. ^ Wilson, Lena (2018-03-23). "Pacific Rim Inspired the "Mako Mori Test." Uprising Gives the Character a Far Less Inspiring Arc". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
  11. ^ "The Mako Mori test". letterboxd.com. Retrieved 2019-05-12.
  12. ^ Wohlwend, Karen E. (2009-01). "Damsels in Discourse: Girls Consuming and Producing Identity Texts Through Disney Princess Play". Reading Research Quarterly. 44 (1): 57–83. doi:10.1598/rrq.44.1.3. ISSN 0034-0553. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ a b Brocklebank, Lisa. Disney's Mulan - the "true" deconstructed heroine?. OCLC 924435148.
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