Royster, Francesca T. Becoming Cleopatra: The Shifting Image of An Icon

                 When I hear the name Cleopatra, the image of a very beautiful dressed in gold with heavy make up pops up in my mind. Of course I have never seen her before, but she has been described in various fields. There are more than 2 movies of Cleopatra. And the actress that plays the role of Cleopatra looks rather proud to have that part. What does this ancient woman has that is so admired and praised by females throughout the centuries?
                  Before thinking into that topic, it seems important to actually know about Cleopatra herself. Going back to the very basic question. What is her origin? Movies from 1900s, portraits her as caucasian, which is not possible because she is from Egypt. While reading this article, I realized that I, too, pictured Cleopatra as white. Cleopatra takes such an important part of the history that debating over her origin seems very reasonable. I would be pretty upset if Japanese or Chinese people argue over our ancestors. And what makes this problem worse is that it has to do with race, which is the most sensitive issue.
                 Why do we obsess with Cleopatra anyways? Nobody really knows what she looked like or dressed up. But there are costumes and makeup tutorials of Cleopatra all over the market. It seems to me that we take her too seriously and somehow make own image of her. Exaggerate in a way. She must be pretty smart and cunning and seductive since she used it to control over man. But there are no evidences that says that she was extremely beautiful and sexy. Maybe that is what we think. We think woman can win over man by seducing them. With heavy makeup and provocative outfits....
                 There are many artists that uses the name Cleopatra to represent themselves. For example, Jazz Cleopatra. Why are we so obsessed with ancient heroin that we know not much about? Why can't we make our own term and be unique? I think woman should create their own icon. Not borrowing names from some figure that we do not even know where she is from.
                 Conclusion.... Is it really hard to be 'Powerful Queen' these days?