c. Women are Stereotyped as Timid
Timid is one of the stereotypes that labels women as being shy and lack of confidence. This stereotype believes that women tend to be shy compared to men that
are more confident and courageous. Timid stereotyping limits women’s participation in the public, because they feel shy and insecure to do something seen by other
people. They are afraid of being judged or prohibited by the society. In the novel, Beauty is bullied by her friends because they think Beauty is weak and ugly. When
Beauty attends Rhona’s birthday party, she feels shy with her appearance. She does not feel confident with her look in silly swimming outfit because the other girls have
fabulous swimming outfit. Most of the girls had similar cool glamorous swimsuits. Arabella had a red
halter-neck bikini and she looked very grown up in it, though she had to keep tugging at the top to keep it in place. I had a silly baby costume, pale
blue patterned with ice-
cream cones. It was last year’s costume, because I hardly ever went swimming. It clung to me, emphasizing my tummy. I
sucked it in as far as I could. It felt as if they were all staring at me. I felt incredibly self-conscious padding across the carpet and out into the hall.
I clutched the tiny teddy for comfort. Wilson, 2016: 84-85
The quotation above indicates Beauty’s feeling about her appearance. When she swims together with her friends, she does not feel confident because she is not in
cool swimming costume like her friends. She wears a silly old fashioned costume exposing her big tummy and it makes her feels ashamed. Beauty makes distance from
her friends because she imagines everyone will bully her seeing her that way. Therefore, she limits her interactions to other people. Timid stereotype labels women
as having lack of courage and confidence than men to involve in any public
participation. Women feel shy and afraid of not being able to fulfil people expectation or not doing something as most people do.
Timid stereotype also occurs if women do not act like the majority does. If they do something, and other people think it is improper, they will feel shy,
frightened or insecure. Thus, timid stereotype causes women to hide and even to prohibit them to do something they like because they feel shy and afraid of being
judged by the society. In the novel, Beauty likes watch TV programme for small kids, Rabbit Hutch, but she does it silently on her own because she feels embarrassed if
other people knows she watches such a childish programme.
I sang it too, but very quietly, just mouthing the words. There was only
Mum at home and she was out in the kitchen. She wouldn’t mind a bit if I wanted to watch a baby programme like Rabbit Hutch but I still felt
embarrassed about it. Imagine if some of the really mean snooty girls at
school, Skye Wortley or Emily Barrington or Arabella Clyde-Smith, came barging through our front door and caught me watching a programme for
five-year-olds. They teased me enough anyway. I could hear them screaming with laughter over Beauty and her lickle bunny-wunny friend in the Rabbit
Hutch. Wilson, 2016: 1
The quotation above depicts the condition where Beauty loves watching Rabbit Hutch, but she feels shy if someone especially her friends know it. Therefore, she
sings the song on of programme quietly to make sure no one hears it. The datum also explains that Beauty minds other people opinion towards what she does, being afraid
that they will judge her as a big baby. People think it is improper for a school girl to watch childish TV programme. Therefore, Beauty tries to hide what she likes from
other people by limiting her rights to express something she likes.
The stereotype that sees women as timid does not only prevent women to do the things that they like explicitly, but it also makes women feel shy to express their
feeling upon something. In Cookie, Beauty feels shy when someone notices her crying. She remembers the time when she gets bullied by her friends.
You can see why Emily and Arabella and Skye tease me so. I am a laughing stock because of my name.
I w asn’t laughing. I had silly baby tears in my eyes now, safe with Sam and
Lily.
‘Hey, don’t cry,’ said Sam. I sniffed, ashamed. ‘Not crying,’ I mumbled.
It seemed to be raining inside my glasses. I poked my finger up and tried to make it work like a windscreen wiper.
Wilson, 2016: 7 The datum above shows when Beauty tells Sam about her friends who bully her;
Skye, Emily, and Arabella. When she remembers the bullying, she cries. She feels shy when Sam sees her cry. Then, she denies it because she considers crying as
something childish to be done by a girl in her age. It shows that Beauty is stereotyped as timid because she feels ashamed and frightened when she expresses her true
feeling about particular things in her life. Timid is one of the stereotypes commonly found in women. It prevents women to express and to show something that they
really feel to other people.
d. Women are Stereotyped as Emotional