By now, you’ve probably heard of the “Bechdel Test,” which has now been renamed to the Bechdel-Wallace Test. Whether you’ve read one of our articles about whether or not a piece of media passes it, or you had to look it up after it got referenced in Rick and Morty, Alison Bechdel’s accidental creation is now seemingly everywhere.

But who is Bechdel, and how did this test come to be? There’s quite a history behind her, which, as a longtime fan, I’m excited to share with all of you. Here’s everything you need to know about the cartoonist legend Alison Bechdel, and the origins of her eponymous test.

The Mary Sue