Squad Goals

Our girlfriends aren’t just our secret keepers. There’s scientifi c proof that they keep us in the pink and away from the blues too.

- Sophia Jose

I recently came across this incredible tool called the Bechdel test. It was popularised by American cartoonist Alison Bechdel in 1985 and helps assess the representation of women in works of fiction. In order for a work of fiction to pass this test, it needs to meet the following three requirements:two female characters, who talk to each other, about something other than men.

Roughly 50 per cent Hollywood movies pass this test. In the Indian context, the number is even lower. Once in a while, there are movies that portray women characters as independent, but rarely do we see an on-screen representation of strong friendships between straight females. Recent films like Parched and Pink are the exceptions. On the contrary, movies on the theme of male friendship (from Sholay to