One of the goddesses that I’ve been drawn too is Aphrodite.
One day while listening to an old interview about goddesses in the art (I’ll enclose it below) I discovered something I didn’t know. Aphrodite’s picture wasn’t what we have been taught it is. Typically when we see her, she’s drawn with her clothes falling off her body (see Sandro Botticell’s picture of the birth of Venus aka Aphrodite below),
however in the video below archeologist Jen Sutherland shares that the oldest reference or statue of Aphrodite was found in Carthrage which is present day Tansania (cool side note, Dr. Kaouthar Darmouni who is from Tansania teaches a special dance that is done when the men aren’t around called “Dance of the Goddesses”).
The original Aphrodite was nothing like most of the pictures that we have of her today. What happened is over the years Aphrodite’s figure was changed to be more acceptable to the patriarchy. The oldest statue (it’s a fairy grainy picture) of her shows her nude but proudly new, holding her robe in a “Look, your welcome I’m here” type of sass with a mirror in each hand pointing towards each of her hips, it’s very much of a “Take all this in, let me reflect the gorgeousness of my body.” (Another sidebar, Oshun who is a love goddess or orisha of sensuality , aka Aphrodite is sometimes drawn with mirrors as well). What Jen Sutherland shares is that over the years Aphrodite’s figure was changed in order to make her more acceptable to the patriarchy. (Me talking here not Jen), the wonder in that though is that in oversexualizing Aphrodite they preserved her. Even if your not into the goddesses we know her name. And now that we know the original design of the positioning of Aphrodite’s body. We as women have a new way to wear our own.
I’ve included the video with Star Goode and Jen Sutherland below. The comments about Aphrodite began at the 12:15 mark. This post was written for all of the women who are coming home to their wings and remembering who they are again.
