Shaelea Carroll

The Bechdel test was created by Alison Bechdel and sets out three seemingly simple criteria that a movie must meet in order to pass. First, there must be two or more female characters. Second, these two or more female characters must talk to each other. Thirdly, the conversation between these character has to be about something other than a man. The Bechdel test is not necessarily the marker of a feminist movie, but it does set a bare minimum that even movies with strong female leads can fail.

In the last week, Leslie Gibson, a Republican candidate who was running for the Maine House of Representatives, fired off offensive tweets about two vocal student survivors from the Parkland shooting. Gibson called student Emma González a “skinhead lesbian,” and her classmate David Hogg a “moron” and a “baldfaced liar.” The overwhelming backlash following Gibson’s comments ultimately caused him to drop out of the race.

We’ve all had that moment. Maybe it’s a Friday night and you’re home with the flu while all your friends are out. Or it’s Spring Break and everyone seems to be exploring the globe but all you’ve got is a one-way ticket back to your hometown. Or maybe it’s none of that. Maybe it’s a plain-old Monday and you’re studying in the library when you check your Instagram feed and see your friend who’s studying abroad and suddenly...feel like trash? But you want to brush it off. Because social media is fun.