Woman Up with Moana

Put your favourite movies to the The Bachdel Test:

1. Two female characters (preferably named),
2. Who talk to each other,
3. About something other than a man.

       My favourite movies: Labyrinth, The Fifth Element, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

In Labyrinth, Sarah the main character travels through the Labyrinth to rescue her brother from the Goblin King who falls madly in love with her. Almost all the goblins, puppets, and creatures appear male and the two female humans are in a mother daughter role. They do talk about dating, but mostly about her taking her responsibilities seriously. All Sarah's friends in the labyrinth are male.

      In the Fifth Element with Bruce Willis and Mila Jovovich there are 2 prominent female characters, Leeloo and Plavalegauna the Opera Diva who take a major part in saving the universe from the forces of evil. Bruce Willis is the brawn weapons expert, witty military hero. The priests are men and all the bad guys are men.

I        n the Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (BBC TV movie, 1988), the majority of cast is male, however the main character is female, Lucy, the youngest of the Pevensie children who discovers the wardrobe and first Adventures into Narnia. Her sister Susan also joins her, and there is Mrs. Beaver. All these roles fit the archetype of traditional female roles where Lucy is a care taker and healer, Susan is beautiful, and Mrs. Beaver is a housewife who gets the kids lunches packed for the adventure.

      I never looked at these movies through this lens until now. I was always the girl who would not be held back or told she cannot do what the boys can do. I was always looking for the next adventure. My favourite movies definitely reflect this spirit however it would appear that when you decide to take on the world you do it with a team of guys because that is how you win and survive. When we tell little girls that they can go out and adventure, but always with a man to escort them it takes away from the sense of self confidence and discovery. The common theme of these movies was the success of these women as long as they traveled with brave, brawny, intelligent, or skilled man. I found myself at times of my life defining myself in position to men: my husband, my Father, bosses and coworkers. If I wanted to be among the best in my field I had to find out who those men are and mirror them because that is how you make it. Until now I had never made this comparison knowingly, it was just the way it was.

       Moano is a story of the chief's daughter who is called to adventure on the seas once sailed by her ancestors. In this story she is propelled by a sense of adventure and the duty of being a young ruler and wanting to improve things and make it better for her people. The community is running out of food and resources on the Island but it has been so long since the people have voyaged that they have forgotten how. Moana takes it upon herself to set out and find a way to save her people. The movie satisfies the Bachdel test. The lead character is female and she talks to her Mom and her Grandmother about things other then boys, i.e. how to make a better life for their community. There is a main character, Maui who is male, however there is no romantic attachment between him and Moana, the lead. Instead there is an exchange of aid and skill which does not have Maui rescuing her. There is a fun tit for tat exchange between the two which lends to an entertaining story. In the story Moana is a strong women who displays positive characteristics of love, loyalty, compassion, fortitude, and courage. It is her tenacity and adventurous spirit which comes through to save her people.

   When females are visible in the dominant power structures of a culture it tells young girls that they are valued and can participate one day too. Women in aviation like Amelia Earhart show girls they too can soar. Here is a picture of the new role models for girls to replace the Disney Princess phenomenon affecting young girls around the world. In a world where girls see Ruth Nader Ginsberg in the supreme court or Ellen Johnson Sirleaf the president of Liberia. Author J.K Rowling has shown girls everywhere what you can do as a single mother with nothing more then a computer and time.