Cleopatra was light-skinned, Egypt tells Netflix in row over drama

I just read this crazy article about Netflix’s new show, Cleopatra. Apparently, the Egyptian government is in a tizzy about the portrayal of their beloved queen. The issue? They feel that the show implies Cleopatra was white-skinned, when in fact she was a POC.

Here’s the rundown: Egypt is saying that the casting of Gal Gadot, an Israeli actress, as Cleopatra, is historically inaccurate. The government is arguing that Cleopatra was part of the Ptolemaic dynasty, which was descended from a Greek general, and therefore she would have had Mediterranean features, not Gadot-like ones.

Personally, I think it’s all a little silly. I mean, who cares what Cleopatra looked like? What’s important is her accomplishments and legacy, which are undeniable. Plus, who’s to say that there weren’t light-skinned Egyptians in ancient times? People have been migrating and mixing for centuries.

All in all, I think it’s important to remember that history is complicated, and sometimes there are gaps that we have to fill in ourselves. But let’s not get too caught up in the details and forget the bigger picture. Cleopatra was a badass queen who did some pretty amazing things, regardless of what she looked like.