Bechdel Test- "Heathers"

Heathers (1988)

Veronica, part of the in-crowd at her high school, starts to question the social politics of popularity when she meets J.D., an outcast new to the school. As their relationship progresses, the two devise a plan to rebel against the popular clique, which ultimately turns in to a killing spree of her so called “best friends.”

Though the movie’s poster makes it look like another generic teen movie, this movie is far from it. It passed the Bechdel Test, as most of the main characters were women and had multiple conversations having nothing to do with men. Even though three of the main characters all had the name “Heather”, they each had very differing personalities, and were used to show the irony of the popular clique and the social power structure of high school. The three Heathers and Veronica made up the popular clique, but in the beginning of the movie we learn that Veronica only spends time with the popular clique to save herself from torment and survive high school, and morally disapproves of the group’s torture tactics they use on the outcasts in the school. The group mainly talked about other girls who were outcasts in the school, criticizing their outfits, personality traits, and whom they spent their time with. The group also spent a lot of time criticizing each other, as well as passive- aggressively threatening to ruin each other’s reputations. 

After spending time with J.D., the rebel new kid at school, Veronica decides to get revenge on Heather Chandler, the leader of the group, for all those she and the rest of the group bullied. In an attempt to destroy Heather’s reputation, Veronica and J.D. break in to her house to confront her, where they “accidentally” poison her with liquid drain cleaner. To cover up the murder, they decide to write a suicide note in Heather’s handwriting. After everyone at school finds out Heather is dead, one of the other Heathers of the group, Heather Duke, replaces Heather Chandler as the popular clique’s leader. As the movie progresses, Veronica and J.D. end up “accidentally” killing multiple students who belonged to the popular clique, covering every one of them up with forged suicide notes. Through constant satire, the movie illustrates the irony of the popular clique and the social structures of high school, the many forms of manipulation in relationships, and the harm that can come from girls hating on other girls. That being said, I think this movie is definitely a feminist film. Even though much of Veronica’s behavior was dependent on J.D.’s decisions through half the film, Veronica eventually realizes he is ultimately a sociopath and figures out how to stop him from killing the entire student body, while finding herself along the way.

-By RaeLynn Barott