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Gender Stereotyping in Brown Watson’s Picture Books (2012) Stereotip Gender dalam Buku Cerita Watson (2012)

This paper discusses gender stereotyping represented in two selected picture books, My Little Book of Stories for Girls and My Little Book of Stories for Boys by Brown Watson (2012). It aims to reveal how picture books may influence readers, later on, to accept and pursue gender stereotyping. The verbal and visual texts were examined to reveal the symbolical meanings of gender stereotyping which then argued by using Judith Butler’s gender performativity. The analysis results in a clear distinction between the performances of female and male characters. By separating female and male characters into completely different categorizations through their appearances, traits, and behavior, the first picture book represents feminine gender stereotypes that females are princesses who stay in the palace while the second represents masculine gender stereotypes that males are outdoor working individuals.


INTRODUCTION
Human beings present themselves with identities that reflected on their appearances, roles, and behaviors. Specific standards may influence these three aspects in a society where individuals play various positions according to the determinant factors. One of the determinant factors is gender; gender defines males and females into rigid categories: feminine and masculine. The feminine is associated with being female, while the masculine is attached to being male. These categories stereotypically formed traits expected from both genders. According to Blackstone (2003), the term 'gender' refers to the characteristics, values, and meanings that become the attributes of different sexes. Thus, it can be concluded that gender is related to sets of behavior for women and men, where each set is different depending on their sex. However, women's and men's standards are often overly generalized without considering the individuals' variation and possible exceptions. The standards may result in a stereotyped belief of men and women. Gender stereotypes provide descriptions of how people view men and women and how men and women are expected to be (Prentice & Carranza, 2002). Gender stereotyping includes the limitation of traits and behaviors allowed for men and women, which differs. Gender stereotyping may negatively affect an individual because if a counter-stereotype is identified in a person, discrimination towards her/him is most likely to happen. As stated by Turner-Bowker (1996), stereotypes are widely shared and validated by beliefs of categorized individuals, causing the stereotypes to be recognized as truth despite being usually inaccurate. Therefore, men and women are obligated to have the stereotyped qualities to be accepted within society.
The over-generalized attributes and acts related to both sex are the effect of the cultural interpretation of biological sex as binary. Butler (1999) explains that gender as binary results in discrete gender by masculine and feminine terms. This means that the individuals' performances based on the binary created a set of behaviors identical to both genders. These attributes are often unrealistic and caused the bodies trapped within the concept of sex as the limitation of roles and relationships one can perform in society. Thus, gender stereotypes in the form of being masculine for males and being feminine for females are gender binary. Moreover, gender requires performance (Butler, 1999). This means that gender is formed through acts that are performed by individuals repeatedly. The reenactment and re-experiencing of the individuals are based on the social norms established within society. For example, an individual identified as a male performs activities that are considered masculine. Later, the acts that are performed repeatedly will form gender that determined the social roles or attributes of being a man. This applied the same to females. Butler (1999) states that individuals who do not fit the sex categories are labeled as abnormals. It can be concluded that both genders need to have clear sex identification to meet the requirements for roles in the society which are constructed culturally. Butler also argues that biological sex does not necessarily become the categories of people but instead appears only as a natural fact of the body. The cultural interpretation of sex is what creates the over-generalized binary, which formed the stereotypes within gender. Not only labeled as abnormals, individuals who do not fill the requirements to belong into one of the two genders will receive punishment from society in the form of oppression, discrimination, and stigmatization towards a specific gender. She continues that differentiating gender into completely different distinctions is a part of what is believed to humanize individuals within P-ISSN: 1979-0457 contemporary culture. Therefore, it is a must for individuals to do their gender right to be accepted in society. To put it simply, one needs to be male enough or female enough to fit in the illusion of gender that is formed by setting biological sex into the gender binary. Butler (1999) further proposes that the adverse reactions and binary or stereotyped performances occur as the patriarchal system tool in which females are pictured to serve males.
This phenomenon can be found in children's literature with picture books as the media. Male and female characters in picture books are standardized based on femininity and masculinity (Peterson & Lach, 1990). Gender stereotypes in picture books are illustrated from the figure of males or females with specific categories. The appearances and traits of male and female characters have distinct characteristics in which children learn and reflect in their later behaviors. For example, male characters in picture books are powerful, while female characters appear less-powerful and seemingly need other people's help to solve a problem. This may result in limitation of freedom and discouragement as certain traits or behaviors only belong to one gender but not the other.
There are several studies that review gender issues in children's literature. Afifah (2018) Nurwahyuni (2015) from Universitas Negeri Semarang for her undergraduate thesis, Social Construction & Impact on Individual Quality of Gender Role in The Glass Menagerie Play,that focused on analyzing how the concept of gender formed by the society and how gender roles created a gap between men and women. In this study, social role theory by Alice Eagly (1987) was used to analyze the data from the drama script. Meanwhile, Nope (2016), from Universitas Brawijaya, wrote the undergraduate thesis entitled Aladdin Character in Disney's Aladdin Movie as a Reconstruction toward Traditional Men Role in Arabic Society that focused on the issue of masculinity; which discussed by using masculinity theory by Beynon (2002) and social reconstruction by Brameld (1950). This paper, however, discusses gender stereotyping represented in picture book series entitled My Little Book of Stories for Girls and My Little Book of Stories for Boys by Brown . Each book consists of four short stories that depict the activities done separately by girls and boys. The differences between the two books are very contrast both in illustrative elements and narrative elements. This paper aims to identify the acts and attributes of female and male characters; the distinctions, according to Gender Performativity (Butler, 1999), indicates how biological sex determine certain behaviors which all in all is a part of patriarchal system where females only seen as males' subordinates.
Therefore, the discussion below presents how gender stereotyping is promoted in picture books through the distinction of the characters' appearances, traits, and behaviours. Reading such ideas on the early stage of age will shape the kid readers' minds that females have certain characteristics that are and then must be different from males and vice versa.

RESEARCH METHOD
The analysis proposed in this paper uses literature review as a part of qualitative approach. The data, both visual and verbal texts, were evaluated in descriptive essay.
As stated by Ary, Jacobs, & Sorensen (2010), qualitative research includes words and pictures rather than numbers and statistics. Thus, the collected data from My Little Book of Stories for Girls and My Little Book of Stories for Boys picture books, were described and analyzed to explain how the issue of gender stereotyping present in the stories. The collected data were classified according to the differences of male and female characters in terms of appearances, traits, and behaviors, to find the proof of gender stereotyping based on Butler's concept of gender performativity (1999).

RESULT AND DISCUSSION
The gender identity of an individual is often valued as a fixed categorization between masculine and feminine, where being masculine only relates to the body of males while being feminine refers only to the body of females. This perception is opposing Judith Butler's view on gender. According to Butler, gender as an identity is constructed through an individual's sustained acts and attributes (1999). Thus, gender is not a stable identity but rather an effect or result from "the stylized repetition of acts" (1999, p.179). In this sense, an individual's performativity that appears in acts and attributes is not limited to a framed binary that differentiates males and females into a different set of normative behaviors in society.
Masculinity and femininity that rule individuals into performing a set of behavior and traits only based on their biological sex are considered a way to conceal the naturalness of gender itself. Therefore, this chapter explains how binary attributes and characteristics are represented through the characters in the two picture books, limiting males and females into a discrete categorization. The distinct characteristics and stereotypes between male and female characters in the two picture books are analyzed based on their appearances, traits, and social roles shown from the picture books' narrative and illustrative elements.

A. Feminine Gender Stereotyping in My Little Book of Stories for Girls
The first picture book consists of four compilations of short stories about the activities done by four princesses. Based on the title, the content of the picture book is especially purposed for girls. Parsons (as cited in Kuon & Weimar, 2009) reveals that the portrayal of females in fairy tales and the newer ones often reflects the traditional role. Females' traditional roles stereotypically include how they are pictured to be passive, kind, gentle, and dependent. The princess characters show such roles through the stories Dressing Up, A Secret in the Garden, Dancing Delight, and Rainy Days. The narrative and illustrative elements are discussed to reveal the gender stereotyping attached to female characters.

Dressing Up: Crown and Jewelry
The first story in the picture book entitled Dressing Up depicts the feminine gender stereotyping through the female characters. The story is about Princess Amy who wants to play dress-up with her puppy named Scamp. In order to make Scamp looks like a princess, Princess Amy goes to gather a few things. She comes to her mother and asks, "Mommy, we need a crown. Please may we borrow one of yours? We'll be careful, I promise" (Watson, 2012, p.6). This suggests that to look like a princess, one needs to wear a crown. P-ISSN: 1979-0457

Figure 1 Princess Amy is Looking for a Crown
Note. Princess Amy feels the need of wearing a crown to complete her dressing up. From My Little Book of Stories for Girls (p. 6), by Brown Watson, 2012, Brown Watson. The illustration shows the mother, who can be implied as the queen, is sitting across the table while eating an apple when Princess Amy approaches her. As previously addressed as 'mummy', the mother wears a big crown and a blue fur robes. Her appearance suggests a higher status as a woman for she is granted a big crown and extravagant clothing that is achieved by being a mother as well as a queen. Then, Princess Amy is looking for some jewels in her room. She searches through the drawer next to her bed and finds necklaces. "There are lots of lovely necklaces in here" (Watson, 2012, p.7). This suggests that Princess Amy is fond of accesories as she addressed them with 'lovely'. Moreover, "Amy chooses a pretty necklace and Scamp carries it into the playroom" (Watson, 2012, p.7). This shows that among those 'lovely necklaces' there is one she considers 'pretty'. This story represents how a girl associates herself with a crown and necklace to be lovely and pretty. This attitude of dressing up, however, does not just happen but is promoted by mimicking the female adult's behaviors. In this case, Amy is making her mother's appearance as her role model, not only for herself but also for others. She makes her dog, Scamp, to look like her role model, "now Scamp is a princess, too!" (Watson, 2012, p.12).

A Secret in The Garden: Fairies, Flowers, and Dress
A Secret in The Garden is about Princess Ella who likes gardening in the palace garden. The illustration shows the palace garden with Princess Ella and the gardener. Princess Ella wears a crown and a worn-out looking dress, "She puts on her old clothes and even helps with the hard jobs, like digging" (Watson, 2012, p.12). This describes how Princess Ella differentiates her activities into at least two categories, the ones with worn-out looking dress and the ones with nice-looking dress. Here, she considers gardening as an activity which does not require a nice-looking dress so she wears her old dress instead. Figure 2 Princess Ella is Digging the Soil Note. Princess Ella is gardening by wearing her worn-out looking dress but still having a ravishing crown on her head. From My Little Book of Stories for Girls (p. 12), by Brown Watson, 2012, Brown Watson. While digging, she discovers a fairy ring and then she wishes for another dress, "I'd like a dress the colour of dandelions, please!" (Watson, 2012, p. 15). Instantly, Princess Ella is wearing a fancy yellow dress. This suggests that Ella is actually loves wearing a nice looking dress as she wishes for it as soon as possible. As soon as she is wearing a fancier dress, the narrative moves her back to her room, which suggests that the nice dress requires her to stay in domestic area. This story represents how a girl is associated with wearing a nice dress and has nothing else to think about.

Dancing Delight: Pixie, Doll, and Dancing
Dancing Delight tells about Princess Grace who loves to dance with her doll. One day, a passing pixie hears and grants her when she makes a wish to be the best dancer in the world. Figure 3 Princess Grace is Dancing with Her Doll Note. Princess Grace is dancing merrily with her doll and is accompanied by some animals. From My Little Book of Stories for Girls (p. 18), by Brown Watson, 2012, Brown Watson. The illustration shows Princess Grace lifts one of her legs as she dances with her doll in her arm. There are also a rabbit, squirrel, bird, and bee around her. This indicates that the doll and the animals are her companions. Princess Grace has a blonde middle-length hair and a smile on her face. She also wears a crown, a dress, and a pair of ballet shoes matching with the doll in her arm that also wears ballet shoes, completed with a tutu skirt. There is a noticeable color preference for how Princess Grace and the doll are dressed. Princess Grace wears a red dress while her shoes are pink. The doll also has pink shoes. As Princess Grace dances, she says to her doll, "Oh, Dolly. I wish I could be the best dancer in the whole of this land!" (Watson, 2012, p.18). The male pixie hears her and grants her wish. Now, her dancing skill is improved. She dances around with her doll which can dance on her own. This story represents how a girl is associated with dolls, animals, and fairies and how her she needs helps to acieve her dream.

Rainy Days: Castle, Toys, and Magic
Rainy Days is about Princess Alanna who cannot play outside because it is raining. When she goes to the end of the rainbow that is on the palace's garden, her toys magically turn into a life sizes and they play in the rain along with Princess Alanna. Princess Alanna has long curly hair with a crown on her head. She also wears a blue flower-patterned dress. Figure 4 Princess Alanna is Looking Out to Her Window Note. Princess Alanna is longing for the rain to stop so she can play outside with her dolls. From My Little Book of Stories for Girls (p. 24), by Brown Watson, 2012, Brown Watson. The illustration shows Princess Alanna is sitting on a chair while looking out the window. She is resting her face on her hands as a bored expression drawn on her face. Beside her, there are a unicorn stuffed and a doll. The doll has a long hair and also wears a dress. On the floor, a cat curls on top of a cushion. This shows that her companions are her toys and the cat. As it is raining, Princess Alanna stays inside and wonders what to do. Suddenly, rainbows appear when Princess Alanna leans towards the window. With this, Princess Alanna decides to rush outside even if it is still raining while bringing her toys in her arms as the cat follows her steps. Princess Alanna goes to follow where the rainbow ends which is in the palace's garden. This suggests that Princess Alanna is so curious to find what is at the end of the rainbow. When Princess Alanna finally reaches where the rainbow ends, she is disappointed to find there is nothing on it. The next illustration shows Princess Alanna's expression, her brows raised with her hand on her mouth while she is looking down at the shimmering patch of light of the rainbow. The verbal text that follows, "She was hoping for something much more exciting" (Watson, 2012, p.27). Then, the unicorn stuffed and the doll transforms into bigger size and they play together. Once the rain stopps, they turn into their previous size and Princess Allana goes back into the palace. This story represents that a girl plays with her inanimates objects to stay at home.

B. Masculine Gender Stereotyping in My Little Book of Stories for Boys
The second picture book consists of short stories that each has a male protagonist. Just as the title of the book gives off, the stories are purposed for boys that can be concluded that the male characters in the stories reflect expectations and certain characteristics that related to being males. The four short stories are Work and Play, In a Muddle, Emergency!, and, Just the Job. The stories mainly focus on the male characters that are seen as individuals that hold responsibilities in their jobs.

Work and Play: Vet, Doctor Robe, and Stethoscope
The first story entitled Work and Play tells about Toby the vet. He is busy helping the sick animals while his cat named Tabitha always follows him and urges him to play instead of working. However, Toby manages to finish all of his responsibilities as the vet before playing with his cat. As the verbal text describes, Toby has many things to take care of as the vet. "His waiting room is full of people and their poorly pets" (Watson, 2012, p.6) this clearly shows that Toby is needed by many people for his job as the vet. Figure 5 Tabitha is Trying to Distract Toby Note. Toby is a vet who is attending his patients while his own pet, Tabitha is trying to get his full attention. From My Little Book of Stories for Boys (p. 6), by Brown Watson, 2012, Brown Watson. The illustration also pictures how Tabitha is playing with some tissue when Toby is currently checking on the patient. This distracts Toby a little but then Toby reminds Tabitha not to play there while he is working. The story represents how a boy can remain focus on the task no matter what.

In a Muddle: Postman, Bicycle, and Mails
In a Muddle tells about a postman named Mr. Packard. He often spends his time daydreaming despite his busy job delivering letters and parcels to people. One day he delivers the letter to the wrong person but he manages to fix the problem before finally returning to the office and realizes that it is his birthday. The remaining letters in his bag are the ones addressed to him. He almost forgot his own birthday because of the busy day he has as the postman. Figure 6 Mr. Packard is on His Way to Deliver the Mail Note. Mr. Packard is doing his job happily knowing that many people are waiting for him. From My Little Book of Stories for Boys (p. 12), by Brown Watson, 2012, Brown Watson. Mr. Packard is illustrated to be short-haired with a warm smile on his face. He also wears a button-down shirt, trousers, a hat, and also a bag full of letters in his arms. Next to him, there is his bicycle that he uses to go around and deliver the letters to people. From his appearance, it can be concluded that he dresses according to his job and also supported with the transportation for him to go around places for his job. He dresses without any additional accessory that is not practical as they are often included in work environment. As the postman, Mr. Packard holds the responsibility from many people. "Everyone relies on him to deliver their letters, cards, and parcels" (Watson, 2012, p.12) this shows that Mr. Packard has the essential role in his job as people depend on him for his service. This story represents that a boy is expected to be capable of holding great responsibility and work efficiently.

Emergency!: Fireman, Uniform, and Fire Truck
The short story entitled Emergency! tells about Fireman Joe and his day as the fire fighter. Being the fire fighter, Fireman Joe always arrives in time where fire happens. But when he needs to buy himself tea at the shop, he is late, the shop is already closed. The illustration shows Fireman Joe and Fire Officer Hannah with firetruck behind them. Fireman Joe has his uniform on along with the safety helmet, as well as Fire Officer Hannah. Fireman Joe has a big smile on his face, as described further through the verbal text, "Being a fire fighter is very exciting" (Watson, 2012, p. 18). This implicates that being fire fighter includes many unexpected moments that make it exciting, especially for boys, in which this story purposed for them. The verbal text also shows the different roles of Fireman Joe and Fire Officer Hannah, "Fireman Joe and Fire Officer Hannah have to be ready to rush off as soon as the alarm sounds" (Watson, 2012, p.18). Aside from describing the urgency of the job, the different roles between male and female characters also apparent, Fireman Joe as the male character needs to hop on the fire truck and goes straight to where the emergency happens yet Fire Officer Hannah does not get to do it. Being a fire officer requires her to stay in the office. This story represents that males are considered more capable of the work that requires physical strength and intelligence to solve problem quickly that are the important qualities as fire fighters.

Just The Job: Farmer, Truck, and Problem-Solving
Just The Job tells about the sheep dog named Buddy who lives in the farm with Farmer Eric, Maddie, and Charlie. Buddy is not good at helping Maddie and Charlie who do the work in the farm. In the end, Farmer Eric solves the problem by finding Buddy the right job as a guard dog in the house and attends to children. Figure 8 The Situation at the Farm Note. Maddie and Charlie are working at the farm. From My Little Book of Stories for Boys (p. 24), by Brown Watson, 2012, Brown Watson. The illustration shows the situation in the farm. Maddie is spotted in the cowshed. She is smiling up to the cow. This implies that Maddie and the cow share the bond that makes the cow calm around the presence of Maddie. Maddie illustrated to have a red hair with ribbon on her head. She also wears over-all clothing. Maddie, the female character, has the job to milk the cow which requires patience and trust gained from the cow. Meanwhile, Charlie stands near the chicken coop with the hen in his arms and a bucket of laid eggs. Charlie has short hair and is illustrated to wear a shirt and trousers. Charlie has the job to collect the eggs from the chicken coop, this job requires carefulness not to accidentally drop the eggs and crack it. From the distance, Farmer Eric is seen driving the truck with a lot of straws loaded in the truck. Farmer Eric who can be assumed as a male adult holds the biggest responsibility to gather the straw and brings it back to the farm. Farmer Eric, as the male character, also has a short hair. He wears hat, a shirt, and jacket. From the different jobs between the female character, Maddie, and the male characters, Charlie and Farmer Eric, it can be concluded that the roles that is owned by males requires more responsibility, strength, and thoroughness just like the jobs of Charlie and Farmer Eric. Meanwhile, Maddie, as the female character, has the job that requires warmth and patience.

C. Binary Opposition of Gender Stereotyping in My Little Book of Stories for Girls and My Little Book of Stories for Boys
The picture books capture the distinct characteristics of gender in which the differences are shown from the traits, behavior, and also the appearances of the male and female characters in the stories. The representations of male and female characters are performed in completely different ways. Starting from both genders' color preferences shown through the illustrations, in My Little Book of Stories for Girls (2012), colors like red, pink, purple, and yellow are frequently used, both from the attributes worn by the characters or by the items surrounding them. The cover of the picture book is colored in pink as it stands for the tone of the majority of illustrations throughout the stories. Meanwhile, in My Little Book of Stories for Boys (2012), the use of solid colors like blue, brown, and green are dominating. This picture book's cover is colored in blue, which stands for the illustration of male characters in the stories. Thus, from the two books, it can be concluded that the appropriate or ideal color for the female is pink and blue for boys as the picture books separately depict the representations of girls and boys.
The gendered color coding is not always the same throughout time. According to Frassanito and Pettorini (2008), the color pink and blue are related to gender association and initially works oppositely. This explains that pink and blue are closely associated with describing discrete gender, yet the association of the colors used to set the opposite. The color gender association changes over time depending on the regulation in the culture. Thus, the association of pink for girls and blue for boys are considered recent. The two picture books discussed then capture this gendered color stereotyping to divide the male and female characters into two different categories that represent the appropriate acts and attributes for their genders. The differences between the male and female characters are further described through the picture books' verbal and visual text. The appearances, traits, and behavior of the characters are differentiated from the one representing girls and representing boys. To affirm the gender stereotyping and present the opposite values between males and females from My Little Book of Stories for Girls (2012) and My Little Book of Stories for Boys (2012), binary opposition Levi-Strauss was used. "The true constituent units of a myth are not the isolated relations but bundle of such relations and it is only as bundles that these relations can be put to use and combined stop produce meaning" (1955, p.431). This refers to the relations between two aspects that reveal meaning as well as the opposite structures. In this sense, the characteristics between male and female characters in the picture books are compared in binary opposition to disclose gender stereotyping towards males and females.
Based on the findings above it can be said that picture books, though the verbal and visual texts, promote gender stereotyping. Here, meanings are constructed by the connection of words and pictures (Tisnawijaya & Kurniati, 2021). The problem here is while kid readers can enjoy the narratives, the ideas that females and male have different characteristics in terms of appearances, traits, and behaviors may further lead to the understanding that the characteristics cannot be reversed as picture books are used "to teach a concept" (Fang, 1996, p. 140). Therefore, the kid readers need adults' assistance to grasp the meaning that the stories are not facts and people have rights to choose their own preferences.

CONCLUSION
After analyzing gender stereotyping in the two picture books, My Little Book of Stories for Girls (2012) and My Little Book of Stories for Boys (2012), there is a clear distinction between females and males. The appropriate acts and behaviors of the characters are categorized differently according to their gender. Gender stereotyping is divided into feminine and masculine, consisting of actions and attributes associated separately for females and males. The feminine gender stereotyping in My Little Book of Stories for Girls consists of females' specific ideal characteristics. Females in the stories are represented as princesses. They have long hair, wear gowns and crowns, wear pink shoes, and are pictured with specific traits such as being kind, curious, cheerful, and dependent. The female characters are also mainly described to have activities in the palace and not encouraged to go further. Thus, the princesses in the stories represent the traditional role of being female, in which they are closely associated with beauty and domestic activities. Meanwhile, in My Little Book of Stories for Boys, the male characters are pictured as independent and responsible in their jobs. They are often spotted to have activities outside the house which stands for mobility. Masculine gender stereotyping reflected in how the male characters are illustrated to have short hair, dress in shirts and trousers, and have certain traits such as being dependable, quick-witted, brave, and good at physical activities. These acts and attributes are entirely different from what the female characters in My Little Book of Stories for Girls are described to have. Therefore, a clear distinction between males and females is emphasized through the stereotyped qualities of both characters. Men are considered to be more capable of holding responsibilities and own significant roles in society with people depending on them.
The illustrations from My Little Book of Stories for Girls and My Little Book of Stories for Boys also reflect gender stereotyping from the color used in both picture books. The one purposed for girls has the book cover colored in pink. Moreover, the illustrations through the stories shows the color red, pink, yellow, and purple are used often to picture the attributes relating to the female characters such are the gowns, shoes, and flowers. In contrast, the color used for the book cover purposed for boys is blue. The illustration in the stories shows the domination of solid colors used through the male characters' attributes. The shirts, trousers, and shoes are mostly colored in blue, brown, and green. Therefore, it can be concluded that gender stereotyping in the two picture books also presented through the colors, which reflect the various shades considered appropriate for girls and boys.