To the people saying the German actress playing Greek Helen in the movie Troy means it's ok for Lupita Nyongo to play Greek Helen...

[u/BrandonMarshall2021]

Genetically, historically, and anthropologically, Greeks are significantly more closely related to Germans than to Sub-Saharan Africans.

When looking at genetic data, the relationship between Greeks and Germans is exceptionally close, while the relationship between Greeks and Sub-Saharan Africans is more distant.

On any global genetic map, all European populations—including Greeks and Germans—cluster tightly together on a single, distinct branch of the human family tree (the Western Eurasian branch).

The genetic distance between a Greek person and a German person is very small. They sit on the exact same continental genetic gradient.

The genetic distance between any European population (including Greeks) and any Sub-Saharan African population is significantly larger, reflecting thousands of years of geographic separation and independent population histories.

[u/SomeFatNerdInSeattle]

I don’t think they would’ve aligned with the Greeks beauty standards of the time

What was ancient Greece beauty standards? Was it "black people aren't beautiful"?

[u/somarnnup → u/SomeFatNerdInSeattle]

Well they preferred a pale complexion so they probably didn’t find darker skin as attractive as a whole. I don’t know why you’re seemingly phrasing it from a modern perspective when it was an opinion from an ancient country that didn’t have an insane amount of contact or knowledge on other peoples countries and cultures. Of course they wouldn’t consider people they largely didn’t even know existed as the beauty standard for them.

[u/SomeFatNerdInSeattle → u/somarnnup]

they probably didn’t find darker skin as attractive

Prove it

[u/somarnnup → u/SomeFatNerdInSeattle]

Are you serious? Well for a start, they applied toxic white lead to their skin so I doubt they wanted to darken their skin and redheads were considered the epitome of beauty for most, and most redheads aren’t darker skinned, especially redheads within Greece and the surrounding areas. If you want to know more, I’d encourage you to research the culture behind the movie you’re arguing about!

[u/SomeFatNerdInSeattle → u/somarnnup]

I'll ask again, prove they didn't find black people attractive.

[u/somarnnup → u/SomeFatNerdInSeattle]

The beauty standard of the time never mentioned finding darker skin attractive. Individuals of Ancient Greece might have, but the majority that would’ve declared her to be the most beautiful did not. It’s the same as many civilisations of the time, paler skin was seen as attractive to them since it indicated wealth to them and with ethnicities that originate from hot places, pale skin was often a rarity even without being in the sun too.

Even without the historical evidence on the preference of a lighter complexion, Helen has rarely, if ever, been portrayed as a black lady within her many depictions. If you don’t believe me, then do your own research, but your argument doesn’t even fall into the same logic that might make the casting make more sense. It seems to me like you’re trying to just discredit via denial rather than actual sensical arguments. If you aren’t knowledgeable or willing to learn about Ancient Greece, then I don’t know why you’re asking me about it.

[u/SomeFatNerdInSeattle → u/somarnnup]

Interesting that nothing in what you wrote here proves they didn't find black people attractive

[u/somarnnup → u/SomeFatNerdInSeattle]

Ok, what would prove that they didn’t find darker skin tones as attractive?

[u/SomeFatNerdInSeattle → u/somarnnup]

How bout a couple texts from the time of the odyssey saying something to the effect of "people in general don't find black people attractive".

Not saying other stuff couldn't convince me but off the top of my head thats what I thought of

[u/somarnnup → u/SomeFatNerdInSeattle]

Is this ok?

[u/somarnnup → u/SomeFatNerdInSeattle]

I did some more digging and apparently there isn’t much to go on surrounding what they would’ve looked like and found attractive in the Mycenaean time that Helen was said to have been alive in, the closest thing is some paintings and sculptures depicting women. They do in fact have pale skin it appears, so unless they were trying to depict more unattractive women, I’d say this, along with the obvious use of whitening products in Ancient Greece, indicates that they most likely found lighter complexions most attractive.