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Story Tests

Posted on May 26, 2025May 26, 2025 by Sami

In evaluating character agency and diversity, I use the following tests in my reviews:

  • Bechdel – Do two named woman characters have at least one conversation that’s not about a man?
  • Mako Mori – Does a female character get her own narrative arc that is not about supporting a man’s story?
  • Deggins – In a story that is not about race, are there at least two non-white characters in the cast?
  • Vito Russo – Does a story contain a lesbian, gay, bi, nonbinary, or trans character, who is not predominately defined by their orientation or identity, who is important enough to affect the plot?
  • Babs and Kara – Would the women characters be recognizable even if they were wearing identical bathrobes that disguised their figures and had their hair completely covered?
  • Fridge – Is a woman’s suffering or death used to initiate or progress a male character’s storyline?
  • Sexy Lamp – Can significant woman characters be replaced by a sexy lamp with a note on the shade without significantly changing the plot?
  • Ara Marginal – Is there at least one named non-white character whose primary trait is not their race and who does something important besides help a white person?
  • If based on real-life people: Finkbeiner – Is a real-life woman depicted on her own merit rather than her relationship with a male spouse or her children?
  • If a woman lead: Roxane Gay – Is there a central woman character, with at least one supporting woman character, who doesn’t compromise herself for love, or who doesn’t live extravagantly for no explained reason?
  • If a trans lead: Topside – Does the story contain more than one trans character? Do some of the trans characters know each other? Do these characters talk to each other about something other than a transition-related topic or procedure?

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