Reluctant to draw attention to oneself; shy and easily embarrassed. Describes someone who is modest and self-conscious in social situations.
From 'bash' meaning 'to be abashed or embarrassed' plus the suffix '-ful.' The word 'bash' itself comes from combining 'abash' (to make ashamed) with the idea of being struck or overwhelmed by embarrassment.
Think of 'Bashful' the dwarf from Snow White - he always blushed and hid behind the other dwarfs! The 'bash' part makes you think of being 'bashed' by embarrassment, making you want to hide.
Bashfulness has been coded as feminine virtue in Western literature and culture, often paired with passivity and submissiveness. This reinforced gendered expectations that women should be quiet and unassuming.
Use bashful for any person; don't assume shyness correlates with gender or is a desirable trait exclusively in women.
["reserved","introverted","cautious"]
Women leaders and speakers who rejected bashfulness (Gloria Steinem, Michelle Obama) challenged gendered expectations that women should minimize themselves.
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