Why is it important that Flora Tristan notes the physical appearance of both the Indian Ravanas and the Lima women and what does it say about society’s views of women?

Flora Tristan talks about two different groups of women, the native Indians and the women of Lima. These two groups are vastly different from one another. The one group is the Indians, and she talks specifically about the ravanas. These ravanas are women that accompany a soldier in battle, taking care of his everyday needs such as cooking and cleaning. These women have immense courage and strength because they have to endure all the same hardships of war as the soldiers while at the same time performing maternal duties. In this respect, she believes these women to be superior to men. She says, “whereas the Indian prefers to kill himself rather than be a soldier, Indian women embrace this life voluntarily and bear its hardships, confronting its dangers with a courage that is lacking in the men of their race. I do not believe that one can cite a more striking proof of the superiority of women” (16). However, after praising these women for their strength, she goes on to mention their physical appearance, calling these women “horribly ugly” (17). It is important that she notes their physical appearance because it says a lot about society’s view of women during this time. These ravanas posses many strong and positive attributes, characteristics that are usually associated with men. They are enduring hardships that usually only men endure. Because of this, they are incapable of being looked at as pretty because only the ones society views as “real women” are pretty, the ones that are lady like and flirtatious and do not do “man’s” work. These women are the women of Lima, who are seen as the most alluring and desirable. She credits their beauty and appeal with their traditional costume, the saya. This completely covers their face, exposing only their eyes. Tristan writes, “oh, how graceful and intoxicating are these beautiful women of Lima with their handsome black sayas…how charming are the movements of their shoulders…how fine and supple are their figures and how sinuous the sway of their walk” (29). Compared to the ravanas, these women are seen as very feminine, beautiful, and the type of woman a man would want. And although Tristan believes these women too are superior to men, this superiority stems from their appearance and their ability to seduce. Talking about the appearance of these two groups of women shows a lot about society’s views and the roles of women. The Lima women are “real women”. They do what women are “meant” to do, which is be pretty and seduce men, not doing hard labor and being independent and courageous. The ravanas, who, in my opinion, posses many more positive characteristics, are incapable of being looked at as beautiful because they do not fit society’s definition of a real woman. They act more like a man and therefore, cannot be pretty like a woman.