User:Jensmall/Evaluate an Article

Which article are you evaluating?
I am evaluating an article about the Bechdel test.

Why you have chosen this article to evaluate?
I chose this article because I have found that a lot of my favorite movies lack complex female characters, which, as a woman, is very important to me. I think nuanced, multifaceted female characters can add a lot to a movie's plot and are also important for representation. Many female characters in some of the most famous movies tend to fall into typical stereotypes about women. The Star Wars franchise—which is one of my favorite movie series—is a perfect example of this, as many of the movies portray the female characters to be "damsels in distress." The Bechdel Test, which measures the representation of women in movies, asks whether a work features at least two female characters who have a conversation about something other than a man. In a movie, if two female characters have a conversation that is not about a man, the movie passes the Bechdel Test. I have found that this test is a quick and simple way to determine the representation and complexity a movie gives to its female characters. My first impression of the Bechdel Test's Wikipedia page was positive. It is very detailed and explains the test and the test's purpose well.

Evaluate the article
Lead Section:

The lead section of this article gives a great, concise overview of what the Bechdel Test is and some very brief history about it. Although it does not include a description of the article's sections, I like how it explains right from the beginning that although the Bechdel Test is a good way to measure the presence and role of women in movies, it does not necessarily correlate to the overall representation of women in movies. Overall, the lead section is strong, has a good introductory sentence, explains a brief overview, is not overly detailed, and sets up the rest of the article well.

Content:

The article's content appears to be up-to-date and relevant to the topic. When I first skimmed through the article, I thought that the sections "Financial Aspects" and "Derived Tests" might not be relevant. After reading through them though, I think that those sections further strengthen the article. Both of those sections show the Bechdel Test's lasting and important impact in the film industry, which I found very interesting. I like the structure of the content (Introduction, History, Application, and Derived Tests), as each section uses the knowledge from the last to help the reader understand the Bechdel Test and its applications. I do not think there is any missing or unnecessary content; everything in the article is relevant to the Bechdel Test and marginalized groups' representation in film. What I like most about the article is how it addresses equity gaps and how the Bechdel Test can be beneficial for marginalized groups. The section "Derived Tests" lists and explains similar tests that LGBTQ+ individuals, people of color, and people in different religious groups can use to test their own representation in film. There is also a test about how the environment is portrayed in film, which I did not know before reading this article. The content of this article is strong, detailed, and relevant to the topic. The article also explains the Bechdel Test's limitations, future uses, and applications for those who are not female.

Tone and Balance:

I think this article is pretty neutral and unbiased. It does a good job of discussing the test's limitations and applications outside of just measuring representation of female characters in movies. I think the sections "Limitations" and "Criticism" keep the article neutral, as without them the article might appear to have some bias. The section "Derived Tests" shows the Bechdel Test's applications for many different groups of people—not just women—which I appreciated. Although this article might be a bit persuasive, all the potential persuasion is done by listing and explaining facts about the Bechdel Test. The article does not use any personal opinion and, overall, is neutral.

Sources and References:

This article has 103 sources, most of which were published after 2012. Although these sources are not incredibly recent, this test was created in 1985 and considering that this test was created about 40 years ago, I think the sources used are alright. The sources range from peer-reviewed academic articles to social media posts. I think the variety of sources is a good thing in the context of the Bechdel Test, as the sources demonstrate different opinions from different groups of people. The links for the sources work. I think the sources used in this article are good and provide important information about the Bechdel Test.

Organization and Writing Quality:

This article is easy to read and does not have any grammar errors, as far as I can tell. I think the structure is great and very well organized. The article was well-researched and written well.

Images and Media:

There are three images and one chart in this article. All the images and media used are relevant to the topic, captioned well, and adhere to copyright regulations. I think this article could benefit from more media though. More graphs displaying representation of women and other groups in the film industry could be helpful. I think some pictures of movies that do and do not pass the test could be beneficial too. I also think the images used could be laid out in a more visually appealing way.

Talk Page Discussion:

There are not many conversations on the Talk Page of this article. Three out of four of the conversations provide more information, while one criticizes the Bechdel Test. Overall, the Talk Page of this article was not particularly helpful.

Overall Impressions:

This article on the Bechdel Test is informative, accurate, unbiased, and goes beyond simply explaining this concept. It is well-written and structured very well. I appreciate how it shows the limitations and criticisms of the test while also showing its applications for marginalized groups. Although I think it could benefit from adding more visual media, I think it does a great job of explaining such an important concept.