The Bechdel, Russo, and Race Test: Oh My Ghostess – Season 1, Episode 11

Soon-Ae discovered in Oh My Ghostess, episode 11 that she had committed suicide, and she set about discovering whether this was what had truly happened to her or not.

The Bechdel, Russo, and Race Test

Episode 11 passed the Bechdel and race test but did not pass the Russo test.

Women talked to each other several times in episode 11, and on several of these occasions the women who talked to each other had names and they did not mention men so the episode passed the Bechdel test. The episode also obviously passed the race test since the show is a K-drama, and the entire cast was Asian and White people were never mentioned by any of the characters.

As to the Russo test, episode 11 did not pass this test, and the episode did not pass this test because there no LGBTI characters in the episode.

*The Bechdel test entails three requirements:
1. It has to have at least two (named) women in it
2. Who talk to each other
3. About something besides a man

**The Vito Russo test entails three requirements:
1. The show contains a character that is identifiably lesbian, gay, bisexual, intersex and/or transgender
2. The character must not be solely or predominately defined by her sexual orientation, gender identity and/or as being intersex
3.The character must be tied into the plot in such a way that her removal would have a significant effect

***The race or people of color (POC) test has three requirements:
1. It has two people of color in it
2. Who talk to each other
3. About something other than a White person

****Just because a show passes the Bechdel, Russo and race test does not mean that it is not sexist, heterosexist, racist and/or cissexist, etc. The Bechdel, Russo and race test is only a bare minimum qualifier for the representation of LGBTI individuals, women and people of color in television. The failure to pass these tests also does not identify whether the central character was a woman, a person of color or a LGBTQI individual and it does not dictate the quality of the show.