The palm to Troy

The essential and beloved Àlex Gutiérrez explained, to the Stop..., that there is a boycott campaignagainst the adaptation of the'Odyssey by Christopher Nolan because Helen of Troy will be played by a black actress, Lupita Nyong’o. We have seen the series The Bridgertons, set in the 19th century, featuring actors of different races playing high society characters, during a period when this was not the case. The series features excellent actors from all over the world, allowing for sales on five continents. We have seen Hamlets starring women, which is a much more substantial change than race.

In Homer's work, Helen is described as a woman of dazzling beauty, with arms as white as snow (arms that would be incompatible with Lupita Nyong'o's). But when, in paintings, they depict the Virgin Mary, precisely, as a blonde and white woman, we say nothing. We understand that the painter chooses a model of beauty, his own, and adapts the character. No one asks for realism from the Virgin Mary, the Three Wise Men, and the caganer. Nor from the blond, pale little boy who ends up being the protagonist of history.

Beauty standards change with every era. Fat or thin bodies, ruddy or pale cheeks... Helena's white arms indicate not a physical, but a moral quality. If her arms are white as snow, she protects herself from the sun, she is sheltered; therefore, she does not work like the artisans. This is Helena's true beauty: she does not get her hands dirty. In Folch i Torres' novels, manicures are criticized in women for the same reason, because they signify hands that do not scrub dishes. We are in the era of dyes, gyms, depilations, and diets. Helena is not black, white, or yellow. She is "beautiful." There is no doubt that the actress is.