I was glad I’d changed my mind and made Mum happy and Mike proud – but in the middle of the night, wide awake, I wished wished wished I
didn’t have to. I kept imagining what it would be like. I’d be in a studio with a lot of cool, co
nfident, talented, beautiful girls like Skye. They’d all dance and sing and I’d make a muck-up of my cookies and they’d all
goggle at me and chortle
– and children from John o’Groats to Land’s End would goggle and chortle too.
Wilson, 2016: 305 The datum above shows that Beauty feels anxious about her appearance in the
television show. She is afraid if everyone laughs at her because the other kids who come to the show are very confident, cool and talented which are the total opposite of
her condition for just being a shy and awkward girl. Not only that, inferior stereotype also makes her feels inferior about her skills in making cookies. She is not confident
to show her skills in front of people. She is afraid when she makes cookies she will make mistakes and create such a mess in the studio.
In conclusion, inferior stereotype is very harmful and it is destroying women’s lives. Women consider themselves as inferior because the society makes them believe
that they are not important and ignored. Beauty is one of the examples of female children’s character that experiences inferior stereotype. It makes her cannot live the
way she wants because she always feels inferior about her existence and other people’s opinion about her.
b. Women are Stereotyped as Submissive
The second stereotype that can be found in Cookie is being submissive. In the patriarchal society men want women to be submissive who obey every rule and order
that men say and ask. Gender roles which are socially constructed keep believing in
men’s power. Therefore, women get lower position than men and they should always obey every men’s commands. Stereotype believed by the society affects women’s
behaviour. Women tend to behave like what the society wants, instead of behaving like they personally want to do, although it gives them some negative impacts. Even
though men orders or commands are bad, women still obey and submit. Women’s submission takes their freedom of choice. They are not allowed to choose something
based on their own consent because men choose it for them. In the novel, Beauty’s
father makes certain rules that Beauty should obey. The rules are applied for everything, that Beauty is allowed or not allowed to do in the house.
I liked reading when I was by myself but you couldn’t really read together. I liked painting but I had to do it in the kitchen with newspaper spread
everywhere, long before Dad came home. I wasn’t supposed to do any painting whatsoever in case I spilled paint on the carpets.
Dad didn’t even allow felt-tip pens in case I got marks on the cream sofas. I was always very careful but Rhona was a giggly girl who never sat still.
What if she flung her arm out when she was painting and accidentally
spattered the wallpaper? If Dad saw he’d get into a rage whether Rhona was here or not.
Wilson, 2016: 18 The datum above shows Beauty’s submissiveness where she obeys her father’s rules.
She is not allowed to do something that she likes; painting, by her father because it can make the carpet, sofa and floor dirty. When Beauty wants to paint something, she
should do it in the kitchen that already covered with newspaper long before her father comes home Wilson, 2016: 18. The rules made by her father prevent Beauty from
doing something that she likes. It makes her unable to enjoy her hobby and doing other things that she likes. Her submissiveness also prevents her from having a proper
friend, because she feels afraid to invite the only friend she has, Rhona. She feels
afraid that Rhona will break something and cause such a mess in the house that causes her father’s anger. Thus, Beauty’s submissiveness limits Beauty’s rights and
freedom to do something that she wants in her own house. Submissiveness prevents women from doing anything that they want. Women
are only allowed to do t he things that men ask or order. In the novel, Beauty’s father
insists on making a birthday party for her even though she does not want a birthday party. Beauty’s father plans to make a big birthday celebration and he tells her to
invite all of her classmates Wilson, 2016: 120-121. He makes a fancy birthday party on purpose to show off his wealth and power to other people.
‘Dad, it all sounds as if it’s going to be wonderful but I think I’d like it just as much
– maybe even more – if I just had one friend, say, and you and me and Mum.’
…
‘Don’t be daft, Beauty,’ said Dad. He was still smiling but there was an edge to his voice. ‘We don’t want people to think you haven’t got any
proper friends.’
…
‘Stop all this butting You’re not a little goat How many girls are in your class?’
‘Nineteen.’ Wilson, 2016: 120-121
The quotation above shows how Beauty tries to deliver her opinion about the birthday
party. Beauty does not want to have a birthday party because she thinks none of her friends will come since she does not have any friend. She does not like the planning
made by her father because what she wants is just an ordinary birthday celebration with her parents and Rhona. When he knows Beauty’s idea, he gets mad and says that
it is a stupid idea. He forces her to mention the number of her classmates. He keep
insisting on making a fancy birthday party because he does not want other people think Beauty has no friends as well as he wants to show off his wealth. At the end,
Beauty should give up on having a birthday party like what she wants because her father forcefully orders her to invite all of her friends in the class to the party that he
has planned. Submissiveness makes women weak and dependent creatures who always
obey and follow the order given by men. It causes women to have limited chance and desire to do something that they like because they know that they are not allowed to
do that. In the novel, Beauty does not have courage to express her feelings directly to her father when she dislikes something. Her father will be mad if she protests or
expresses her opinion and it will make the condition gets worse. When her father asks her about birthday present that she wants, she tells him that she wants a rabbit.
Knowing her request, her father gets angry and prohibits her to have a pet because it will make the house and the garden dirty Wilson, 2016: 23. As compensation, he
buys her a giant pink rabbit doll. She hates it because it looks terrible and very big in size.
‘Don’t you just love your birthday bunny?’ said Dad. I hated hated hated the monster rabbit but I pretended to be thrilled with
him.
Wilson, 2016: 144
The datum above shows that Beauty pretends she likes the bunny doll. She is afraid
of contradicting her father. She chooses to be obedient and hides her true feeling. Beauty’s submissiveness prevents her to get what she wants. She only accepts what
her father has ordered and given her without any protest.
The power that Beauty’s father has, allows him to command what Beauty should do and not to do. He interferes one of Beauty’s rights which is her rights to
choose. He determines the friends that Beauty should have based on his personal opinion. He insists on making her be friends with Skye, who actually is Beauty’s
enemy. He does not care about Beauty’s feelings since he has authority over her. He is very egoistic who only cares with his own thoughts and feelings.
‘Is she the one with the swimming pool?’ said Dad. ‘It must be the size of a footbath because those houses haven’t got any back garden to speak of. It’s a
tacky house too. Look at the state of the paintwork Wouldn’t you think that guy would take a bit of pride in his own house and keep it up to scratch? I
don’t know why you’re acting so pally with that little kiddie, she isn’t anything special. Why on earth don’t you make friends with that little
blonde poppet Skye?’ Dad remembered her name all right.
‘I don’t like Skye,’ I mumbled. ‘Don’t be so silly You could take a few tips from that girl. She’s not
backward in coming forward. She was off like a rocket when she got the
chance to go on stage. Wilson, 2016: 181 The quotation above explains Beauty tries to tell her opinions about Skye to her
father. She says to him that she does not like Skye, and she cannot be friend with her. However, he does not care with Beauty’s opinion and still insists on making her
follow what Skye does. In other words, submissiveness puts women above men’s
control. It prevents them from having basic rights those are the rights to utter opinion and the rights to choose. Submissiveness prevents women to express their true
feelings upon something. Thus, it wil l keep women live under men’s control and
prevent them from having equal rights and live peacefully by owning their freedom.
c. Women are Stereotyped as Timid
