Holy Aphrodite Discussion
I typically consider myself an Aphrodite devotee, she is the only deity I have an altar for and she is very relevant in my life (I am very concerned with my love for others and relationships with friends and family). Saying this, I hate how the modern media makes it seem as if the Godess is some vengeful jealous "bitch" who can't bare the idea of being compared to someone.
Commonly on social media you'll see an interaction that goes something like this:
Person 1: "You look like Aphrodite!!"
Person 2: "That's disrespectful, don't compare"
Person 3: "She ain't real, also why she so jealous lol, Greek gods be mad over nun"
Now, in this example interaction, person 2 is correct. It is disrespectful to compare. However, contrary to what person 3 believes, the deity is not going to curse you or something along those lines. This is a very misconstrued sentiment that most likely originates from the story of Queen Cenchreis and her daughter Myrrha.
The story, like most, has varying versions but it typically goes something like this: Queen Cenchreis had a daughter name Myrrha, Cenchreis thought that her daughter was very beautiful and compared her to the Godess of love, Aphrodite. Aphrodite was displeased by this and cursed Myrrha
The common interpretation of this is that Aphrodite is a jealous deity. However I take this myth as a cautionary tale. Imagine how rude it would seem if one of your friends came up to you and said something along the lines of "You're as pretty/more pretty than Jane Doe!!" Seems kind of rude. What I'm getting at is: Aphrodite knows we are all beautiful, and dislikes comparison. It is rude and distasteful. Especially when people are compared to her, because she knows that person is beautiful in their own way and does not have to be compared to her to have that proven.
So, in summary. Yes it is wrong to compare people to the beauty of Aphrodite, but not because of what you think.
This is my interpretation of the story of Queen Cenchreis and Myrrha, obviously that is open for discussion. Sorry if this reads weird this is my first real post