The Establishment of Power and Status Relayed Through Stereotypes

The Incan leader was draped in their ruby purple robes, sewn so finely they were often mistaken for silk. The designs on his uncus, elaborately woven, were put on to display the power and wealth he possessed. A fringe and a single tassel, a symbol of power only worn by the most elite of the Incans, hung from the mascaypacha’s headpiece, which he bears with pride.

In a bordering Andean town, several years later, a woman watches over her land. She is adorned in thick, heavy layers of clothing. She wears large, silver earrings, and Spanish shoes. Her brother, the authoritative figure in the following town, arrives atop a horse. He bears layers of cumbi cloth as well; around his neck is a beaded necklace, with a cross at one end.

Centuries later, a woman walks with her head held up high down the sunny streets of Los Angeles. She dons a black, floppy sunhat, a white designer dress, and bright red lipstick. Her hands are full with designer and brand-name bags.

If you’re an avid film enthusiast (or if you want to watch the attached hyperlink here), you’d recognize that to be Julia Roberts in her iconic debut film, Pretty Woman. She sports expensive, high-end clothing, made of the finest material; she uses this to show class. I think that it’s incredibly fascinating just how much one’s appearance can change one’s image. Similarly, the indigenous peoples of the Andes also used their clothing to emphasize their power. Not only am I a sucker for 90’s classic rom-coms and the Cinderella-esque style of the movie, but this scene also ties in beautifully with Professor O’Toole’s lecture about how one can present themselves to show status. Here, I think it’d be totally appropriate to analyze just how clothing can change how people are viewed.

Julia Roberts and Richard Gere in Pretty Woman (1990)

Without going into too much detail about the movie itself, we must analyze Roberts’ character, Vivian, at the beginning of the clip. Vivian lives off what she is able to earn, earning her wages as a hooker on the streets of Hollywood. In the opening scene, she has on a flashy blue and white dress, a tarnish-red coat, and black over-the-knee boots. At first glance, her outfit doesn’t scream the famous socialite that she ends up pretending to be. It’s interesting that when Vivian enters the high-end boutique for the first time, that she is turned away. In this case, she is not turned away by disabilities, her gender, nor is she turned away by the color of her skin; instead, the ladies who work on commission refused to tend to her because of her clothing.

When we relay this situation back to our HumCore lecture, we notice that these women are basing Vivian’s status off of the stereotype of her clothing and class. The women working at the boutique are dressed smartly, with hair neatly done atop their heads, and earthy-tone clothing. It is an extremely distinguished difference between Vivian’s wild, untamed hair and many barrettes that cover the majority of her forearms. In this scene, holistically speaking, the director of the film is trying to establish a class difference, by placing stereotypes on the clothing that a woman wears.

It is clear that it is inappropriate to base one’s first impression simply by their clothing; regardless of whether or not we factor in Richard Gere’s character Edward’s generosity in giving her money to buy new clothes, we see in the following scene (starts at 1:29) that her change in attire makes her seem sophisticated, and educated. These are a couple of the many factors in which people in today’s society prize and associate with class.

Now, with a small outfit change and her hair swept back into a simple ponytail, the commissioned workers deem her unrecognizable. Their appalled faces during Vivian’s iconic Big Mistake scene is a perfect example of how people regard others’ status and class simply by choice of clothing.

A possibility of why this phenomenon occurs could be because of today’s rise in technology; with fashion and new trends having a widespread output on the younger generations today, it is easy to judge and lay claim to what may simply be untrue; in this case, Vivian’s character does have the money to pay for her clothing. From viewing this clip, we are able to come to the conclusion that society uses material subjects essentially as place markers of status and wealth. When compared to the works of the indigenous peoples of the Andes, it is relatively easy to see that they also uphold similar values.

Woman of the Andes

As described in the first two paragraphs of society, noble Andean peoples tended to wear finely woven, ornately decorated clothing. With reference to the primary source of the woman bearing clothes that signify the status of the elite, we are able to come to this conclusion. Clothing that indicated status in Andean culture often included purple, which is a symbol of power and luxury; another color highly regarded by these peoples is a deep red color. Because the color was so difficult to achieve, anyone who was able to bear red on their clothing were considered of noble or elite status.

In addition to the clothing that indicated them of Andean status, the indigenous peoples also followed Spanish customs to express their power. For example, O’Toole stated that they wore Spanish shoes, and wore silver to express their power. In addition, they’d flourish their status by wearing a cross to indicate of their Christian or Catholic faith, and owning horses.

But just because these indigenous peoples claimed to be of status, did not mean that they were of nobility; often times, Andean women who were able to shy away from Incan rule after the arrival of the Spanish were able to claim power in their own territories. Here, their clothing and customs allowed them to establish a façade of dominance and status.

It’s also fascinating to note that the indigenous peoples of the Andes were initially hesitant to comply with the Spaniards, even though they ultimately did diffuse their former practices with new ones. In Francisco Jerez’s and Titu Cusi Yupanqui's accounts of the contact between the Spanish and the Andean peoples, the two groups were from two different worlds, where both sides seemed uncomfortable with either side’s practices. For example, the indigenous peoples were “very much offended” by the Spanish’s handling of their liquor, and that they have “disrespected” them (62). On the flipside, we have listened to the Spanish’s account of the indigenous peoples as uncultured barbarians. It’s quite ironic, considering that from the account of the indigenous peoples of the Andes, the Spanish themselves were seen as savagely.

I think that it’s also significant to draw our attention away from the material taught in lecture and the iconic example that I used to explain my claim. In the world that we live in today, there are still implications that indicate status; for example, people are often given higher regard if they saw someone dressed in a suit, as opposed to if they only had on a pair of board shorts and a hoodie. If we were to focus on other factors that doesn’t involve clothing, we can also use cars, houses, and assets (gold, businesses, and other highly regarded material things etc.) as indications of status. If we move onto the immaterial things, we can further add personal connections and education that are often indicators of class.

These stereotypes are what give us the impressions of who certain people are and how they act; often, these stereotypes are not accurate, and is an assumed truth of the masses. Because of this, we are often exposed to information that is often inaccurate or misleading. Because of this, we must work towards drawing away from stereotypes, as these traits are not formal implications that guarantee that one has status.

Works Cited

O’Toole, Rachel. Humanities Core. 9 Jan. 2019.

De Jerez, Francisco. “True Account of the Conquest of Peru (Province of Cuzco)” pp. 43-55

Yupanqui, Titu Cusi. “An Inca Account of the Conquest of Peru ” pp. 59-70

“Pretty Woman.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 23 Mar. 1990, www.imdb.com/title/tt0100405/.