Just a very minor issue...

[Teleklos Archelaou]

whoever said white is considered more beatiful is full of shit

herodotus mentions several times that the ethiopians were considered the most beautiful in the world

not saying that they considered dark skin more beautiful, but at least the first statement is clearly false

"Several times"? Interesting. Where are those several times? Here's a hint: he says it at 3.20. He says that they "are said to be the tallest and best-looking people in the world. Their laws and customs are peculiar to themselves, and the strangest is the method they have of choosing for their king the man whom they judge to be the tallest and strong in proportion to his height." In no way would I say or think the people he calls "Aithiopians" are *not* the most beautiful, but he points it out to show that that is how they pick their king. Herodotos surely had seen many Aithiopians while in Egypt, but he certainly didn't go up the Nile very far.

The Greeks clearly thought that white skin was more beautiful for their women (just as it is prized today and has been for centuries by the Chinese and Japanese and Koreans). But the reasons are complex and not just "cause it wuz purtier", but also entwined with ideas of women living inside the home and not working outside in the sun (at least for the Greeks - I'm not sure why the Asians prize it so). That didn't matter with men of course (well, I can't say it definitely didn't - but men who have more liesure time don't spend it stretched out sunning on a rock, they are more likely to be in the shade than a farmer or laborer of some other type would, and we all know that upper classes generally have more ability to set standards of beauty through the much higher degree of control they had over art/artistic depictions, whether they ought to do it or not). But the Greeks were all about moderation in virtually everything, and they thought that their moderate climates (compared with the cold to the north and the heat to the south) were just right and that it led to men in the north and south having extremes in skin color and hair types and other customs. (edit: then again, which culture or ethnicity *doesn't* generally think that the "other" or outsiders are uglier or weaker or worse in any number of areas? All peoples are naturally protective of their own and therefore prejudiced against outsiders. Another reason why 'naturally' isn't always best maybe )

I'm not arguing for any changes or any pattern or anything, but indeed many of the Greeks (esp. upper classes) *did* think whiter was more beautiful in some regards. And if anyone thinks that is my belief, then you obviously know nothing of my own preferences.