PONDERING: Cleopatra's Dark Beauty

THANK YOU, Delish for this article!  As you said, it most likely won't appear in American newspapers.

 This is an article that bears much pondering.  Many women of African descent have swallowed many lies regarding their beauty, and in a patriarchial-driven world a woman's beauty often translates into her "worth."  The Hollywood image of Cleopatra, whose beguiling beauty and it's effect on men is legendary, has always been used to help to render the beauty of European women "beyond compare."  Therefore this article is a critical element in rebutting some of these lies that, taken altogether, cause many people of African descent and people worldwide (for ex. Asians) to regard the beauty of dark woman and/or less-euro looking women as less-than.  Remember, 's/he who controls images controls minds.'  To rebut the lies that have built and support the CONSTRUCT of beauty, bw must bring forth as much information as possible to get rid of the bricks in this CONSTRUCT that says that African beauty is "less-than" beauty.

It has never bothered me that Europeans promote  the beauty of European-descended women or white women as the 'fairest of them all' and most worthy.  I would ***EXPECT*** white men to consider white women to be the most beautiful, most desirable, and most worthy and to promote that idea to the world.  What bothers me is that MANY men of African descent don't lift up or promote the beauty of the African or African-descended woman and declare these women from their group to be the 'fairest of them all,' most desirable, and therefore most worthy.

The bottom line, for ANY woman, is that in a patriarchial world, if the males from your group don't consider you to be the most beautiful, most desirable and therefore most worthy women, you need to put distance between yourself and these males because in general and if there are no barriers, most males are going to gravitate towards the women who they consider the most beautiful and the most desirable.  I know this may not sound 'fair,' but life has never been 'fair.' 

To Black Women:  This should not make you upset; it should make you DETERMINED to put yourself around ONLY those males who consider your desirability/worth to be equal to or greater than that of other women or those men who consider YOU to be the 'fairest of them all' a la Barack Obama.

And for AA women, there are plenty of these males out there of all races and ethnicities who, alike Obama, can think for themselves and  haven't allowed Hollywood to control them like puppets and tell them that only light-bright-white, euro featured women are beautiful.

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Sorry Liz But This is The Real Face of Cleopatra

 by Fiona McCrae  December 16, 2008

From Elizabeth Taylor to Sophia Loren, there have been many faces of Cleopatra. But this might be the most realistic of them all.

Egyptologist Sally Ann Ashton believes the compute regenerated 3D image is the best likeness of the legendary beauty famed for her ability to beguile.

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Likeness: The computer-generated 3D image has been pieced together from images on ancient artefacts

Pieced together from images on ancient artefacts, including a ring dating from Cleopatra's reign 2,000 years ago, it is the culmination of more than a year of painstaking research.

The result is a beautiful young woman of mixed ethnicity  -  very different to the porcelain-skinned Westernised version portrayed by Elizabeth Taylor in the 1961 movie Cleopatra.

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Realism: The result is a strikingly beautiful young woman of mixed ethnicity

Dr Ashton, of Cambridge University, said the images, to be broadcast as part of a Five documentary on Cleopatra, reflect the monarch's Greek heritage as well as her Egyptian upbringing.

'She probably wasn't just completely European. You've got to remember that her family had actually lived in Egypt for 300 years by the time she came to power. .    .     .    .

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Link to the  the rest of this article and the highly predictable negative comments is below.  I find it so interesting how to many of the commenters, Cleopatra in this picture is considered "plain" looking now that she obviously doesn't look like a European woman. LOL!!!!  So many people are so easily manipulated. SMH These folks have simply accepted the "opinions" of others that the image of Cleopatra as Liz Taylor is beautiful or more  beautiful than this woman.  Beauty is never a fact; it is now and has always been an opinion.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1095043/Sorry-Liz-THIS-real-face-Cleopatra.html

Comments

[Delishmish]

Thanks E for posting this. I hope the ladies will poke their heads into this room and take a look see. (Your "house" has so many wonderful learning rooms.)

I remember once, dressing up as Cleopatra for a Halloween keg party during my undergrad days. I just took a white sheet and wrapped it toga style (with leggings and a tank underneath lest there be an unfortunate unwravelling of the sheet..lol) Then I got a black Cleo braided wig with heavy bangs, heavy black "cat eye" eyeliner, full blood red lips, a gold headband, and the most telling piece...a golden asp that "snaked" up my forearm....I was the belle of the ball (although that was not my intention. I just wanted to drink beer in a costume)...also, I'm pretty sure Cleopatra did not wear sneakers.

Even then I REFUSED to accept that Liz Taylor was the image of the amazing Cleopatra...I believed (then and now) that women who looked like I do in this life, were the wives, consorts and partners of those who ruled the ancient powerful dynasties, and there is no reason why it cannot be the same today.

That is what I BELIEVE and know to be true!

[Aphrodite]

This is a wonderful article. I knew that Cleopatra was of color, but I never knew that she could pretty much pass as a regular AA woman.

Now i am wondering what was her secret for enticing men.

I read those comments and it sounds like haterism to the nth degree.

[lois]

African history is truely one of the best. There are so many interesting stories.

[Alta]

I love hearing things like this. I skimmed the responses. Yep. Hate! I've also heard that Jesus and Mary, considering where they are from, would have have had darker skin. They would look middle eastern as opposed to the porcelain statues we see today. Thanks!

[phantomare]

Hey alta I have a pic a jew from around the time of Yahusha (Jesus) And he was a definite black man. Jews at that time according to Titus was of Ethiopian looking stock.

[phantomare]

Cleo's airstyle is NO different than what we see today on black peoples. Her mixed background also, is NO different than the mixed background of your everyday AA person. Many of use are walking around with the blood of white fathers, some of us display that more than others- but for the most part- identifiably black.

[phantomare]

Evia....

Can I use this entire post with your comments on my Image blog??? Pretty pleeeeeaase?? LOL

[Evia]

Evia....

Can I use this entire post with your comments on my Image blog??? Pretty pleeeeeaase?? LOL

Sure, GO AHEAD and use it! Just give me credit for my comments and pls mention my site.

[phantomare]

Okie dokie Evia thanks!!!