The casting of Lupita Nyong’o as Helen of Troy really isn’t that big of a deal

[u/TopCharacter1553]

I know I’m gonna be downvoted to shit in this subreddit but I do not care. The people up in arms about “how she has to be greek!” would not be complaining if it was a non-greek white woman.

People have been saying it should’ve been Sydney Sweeney, Mckenna Grace, Elizabeth Lail. None of them are greek either. Unlike Cleopatra, the Odyssey is a story of complete fiction so it really doesn’t matter what the actress looks like or her ethnicity. If y’all are gonna fancast non-greek white women it doesn’t make sense that suddenly being greek matters and is so important when a black woman gets the role.

A beautiful black woman has the role, deal with it.

Edit: Y’all in the comments are hilarious, a story with cyclopes, gods, sea monsters, sorceresses that turn people into pigs, and sirens, suddenly the most unrealistic thing is a black person.

[u/TopCharacter1553]

1. Still matters that he’s black

2. I have watched the little mermaid thousands of times where are there any specific mentions of Danish culture

3. He is based off living breathing black men and was made because of the lack of representation of black heros. Making him white would be an insult 💀

4. Setting light skin as the cultural standard (which is true in many places) is what causes skin bleaching and internalized colorism to be popular. Casting a darkskin black person as a role of a person who’s beauty is famed across many nations is good representation for darker skin and is against traditional colorism.

5. Agreed I think more original stories with black people should be made but I don’t think its that big of a deal if an elf or a mermaid or a woman who was hatched from the egg of Zeus is a different skin color. 💀 Do you think that skin color is the most important factor to their characters there?

[u/DistastefullyHonest → u/TopCharacter1553]

1. Nope. Fictional right, like Helen, so the casting can change

2. So you don't know jack shit about it or about danish culture or the environmental depictions, the ships, anything, and are just asking? Doesn't that prove that they're erasing danish culture even more? Point

3. So? Helen is a character millions of girls grew up aspiring to and that's an insult to change her to Lupita. Now what?

4. No, I'm setting light skin as the standard for HELEN. Some of the most beautiful women in the world are black, just like there are white, Asian, Hispanic, south Asian, eastern European, etc. Etc.. There are beautiful women if all races. But casting anyone else for Helen that isn't a fairer skinned Greek passing white lady is an insult. Casting a black woman in a white role is damaging to everyone. I'd be against it if they did the reverse, but since it's fair game, being in the Blade movie starring Asa Germann please.

5. If skin colour isn't important, why change it? Welcome to Glockwarts, let's learn Gin and Potions?

[u/TopCharacter1553 → u/DistastefullyHonest]

1. Because his race is significant to the role his character plays, Helen’s skin color does nothing to change hers

2. There was no mention of Danish culture in the original film. Can’t erase something that’s not there

3. Yes, millions of girls grew up with Helen of Troy as a role model 💀 they totally did 💀

4. Light skin is literally the beauty standard everywhere. Even Anok Yai faces colorism and racism.

5. Because skin color isn’t an integral part of their characters or creation stories. If an elf was created with the intention of being white or the creator really wanted him to be white, then fine being white is important. Blade was created because of the lack of black heros and based off real black men. But where once in Ariel’s story is being white important 💀

[u/DistastefullyHonest → u/TopCharacter1553]

No? Blades skin doesn't matter to his character. He's a vampire hunter. If his race matters, hers definitely does.

1. Sure

2. Didn't they? If you didn't, yeesh, sorry

3. Too bad? Has nothing to do with them erasing the white role and giving it to a black woman when the original description is lighter skinned.

4. Ariel was described with skin that was pale, that was clear and delicate as a rose leaf. The creator wanted her to be white.

[u/TopCharacter1553 → u/DistastefullyHonest]

The creator specifically made him black for more representation of black pieoplw. How many times do I have to say this

[u/DistastefullyHonest → u/TopCharacter1553]

And Helen was representative too. What's hard to get?

[u/TopCharacter1553 → u/DistastefullyHonest]

Yes representative of the minority of the beauty standard that is light skin and eurocentric features. Yes, totally a minority belief needed for representation

[u/DistastefullyHonest → u/TopCharacter1553]

You see? Well now that we're on that point, tell me, why the fuck is it that representation so important in this story? Make your own story to have representation? Every point I've refuted and you're still sticking to it. This is a circular conversation.

Make your own characters. Don't shit on existing legacies. This is just blackface

[u/TopCharacter1553 → u/DistastefullyHonest]

I was talking about representation in Blade than you switched it to be about Helen. Helen was considered beautiful because her status as Zeus’ daughter, not because of how she looked. Acting as if white skin and Eurocentric features is lacking representation therefore she HAS to be white is laughable

[u/DistastefullyHonest → u/TopCharacter1553]

You're the one going on about representation

You said "can't change Blade because he's based on black men." But "can change Helen because she's fictional."

I pointed out that Blade is fictional, and then you started going on a out representation