Woman’s subordinate situation makes her lovable but not genuinely equal in man’s eyes.

Evidence

But, paradoxically, it is harder for woman than for man to recognize an individual of the opposite sex as her equal. Precisely because the male caste enjoys superiority, man can hold many individual women in affectionate esteem: a woman is easy to love; she has, first of all, the privilege of introducing her lover to a world different from his own and one that he is pleased to explore at her side; she fascinates, she amuses, at least for a little while; and then, because her situation is limited and subordinate, all her qualities seem like conquests while her errors are excusable. — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1930

Categorization

• DEFINE: Beauvoir shows that chivalrous affection is actually a form of condescension rooted in woman’s subordinate situation.
• XREF: connects to: Oppression alienates the subordinate into viewing herself through the master’s eyes — Sarah Bakewell, At the Existentialist Café: Freedom,…, 674; Woman’s contradictory image stems from being man’s inessential Other — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 413; Woman embodies Nature, whose ambivalence makes her both ally and enemy to man — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 324 (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• A woman is not distinguished from her appearance, while a man’s clothing is incidental #expands (0.82) — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1921