2008 - Sold

Is there such a thing as the most beautiful woman in the world? Attraction is heavily dependent on both cultural norms and individual preferences, and yet we as a society are infatuated with the unrealistic idea of universal beauty.

In Greek mythology, she’s called Helen of Troy, and in Russian folklore, she’s Elena the Beautiful. Aside from sharing a name and a unique quality that compelled men to possess them at all costs, these women had nothing else in common. In fact, the Russian beauty had a much happier story than the Grecian one. However, I wonder why two different cultures from different eras gave their ideal woman the same name: Helena.