• @breecher@sh.itjust.works
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    2026 days ago

    Nah, it is the other way around. Historians would say those facts, and Hollywood and possibly general media would be the ones saying “sexy”.

    • B-TR3E
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      326 days ago

      History was invented by Universal and MGM. According to Universal. Others (Paramount) claim it was invented by Paramount.

  • Oscar Cunningham
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    826 days ago

    Stable and prosperous? She started with a civil war and ended by being conquered by Rome. The bit in the middle wasn’t stable either.

    • Getting conquered by Rome is just what you do when you live by their sea.

      But yes, it was, all things are relative, and one can’t blame the beach for the tsunami.

  • @addie@feddit.uk
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    326 days ago

    Nothing to me says ‘sexy’ quite like your grandad and your great-grandad being the same guy, or your (great * 5)-grandmother / grandfather being one man and woman, when most people have that responsibility spread between 64 people.

    Close family. Must have made Christmas easy - having the in-laws round isn’t so bad when they’re your own blood relatives too.

    • @null_dot@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      26 days ago

      Yeah I can’t remember the reasoning / evidence but I do remember reading that Cleopatra was unlikely to have been beautiful or “sexy”. IIRC it’s indeed because she was likely to have congenital deformities due to inbreeding - much like those of Tutankhamen.

      She was extraordinary powerful, well educated, and had a terrifying intellect. Additionally she would have bathed daily which would have been alluring in that era.

      That said, there’s no shortage of other powerful Egyptian babes, Nefertiti and Hatshepsut come to mind.

      Edit: Plutarch the Roman historian said something diplomatic like physical beauty is not her most striking feature. Which, when talking about a ruler, is saying she’s ugly.

    • @Iceman@lemmy.world
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      126 days ago

      Small domino: Greek bloodline fuckery.

      Middle Domino: Hollywood.

      Big domino: Incest porn.

    • @TriflingToad@sh.itjust.works
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      -126 days ago

      my take is that they’re trying to do the “>text” to indicate that is an action rather than words, but it formatted to a quote box

      >this is what was meant

      this is what happened

      that’s my guess tho idk

      • @TypFaffke@feddit.org
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        126 days ago

        But why is it “my brother” then? It should be “her brother”. I think they are truly fucked up I characters

  • @Taleya@aussie.zone
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    226 days ago

    'Cos the romans were so fucked up they literally could not handle being out maneuvered, outsmarted, outstrategised by a woman. So they framed it as “pussy pass”

    • @FearMeAndDecay@literature.cafe
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      226 days ago

      Wasn’t she actually considered not super attractive at the time? Like not necessarily ugly, but she wasn’t being mistaken for Venus incarnate. It was only later on that the idea of her being super hot because popular right?

      • @Taleya@aussie.zone
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        25 days ago

        plutarch and cassius dio emphasise the personality, wit, intelligence, charm etc etc…cicero went total piers morgan though

      • I Cast Fist
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        126 days ago

        There was significant amounts of incest within her family tree, so it’s likely that she wasn’t that good looking

      • @Lucky_777@lemmy.world
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        126 days ago

        Powerful women are sexy! Dont need to be crazy hot when you can whisper in my ear, the language of a people you just steam rolled.

  • @MusicSoulEdu@lemmy.ca
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    226 days ago

    I do find it hilarious that we associate sexiness with Cleopatra because of an intensive smear campaign.

  • TooManyFoods
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    126 days ago

    Don’t historians say she probably wasn’t sexy? Just super bold which attracted powerful men, who hasn’t seen much of that back then.