Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Isn't She Beautiful

I remember learning about Greek mythology in 7th grade. That is how I vaguely remembered Aphrodite, when I saw a statue of her in The Great Hall at Bryn Mawr College. What was so stunning about Aphrodite (statue is apparently Athena), was not only her beauty, but the gifts, or offerings scattered around her.

I was confused at first; here I am in the hall, a wide open space in front of me, and in the corner I spotted a statue of a woman with bright gold painted eyes and lips. My curiosity encouraged me to seek out this woman. Soon I was no longer paying attention to the statue but the things around her. There were notes apologizing to Aphrodite, cards made in her honor, and two items that stood out more than the rest. At her feet rest the box of an ept pregnancy test and on her outstretched arm a black thong hanging for the world to see. While there were many more random items, those were the ones that stood out in my mind.

The ladies of Bryn Mawr must have a tradition with this statue of Aphrodite. I only wish I had captured it on film.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

sorry to burst your bubble, but that's Athena, not Aphrodite. (I'm BMC '03)

Unknown said...

But was it your love note?

As an alumna, could you provide some background?

Anonymous said...

http://www.brynmawr.edu/activities/traditions.shtml

Unknown said...

This upsets me. My school had bogus "traditions." I also enjoy how Bryn Mawr refers to its students as freshwomen and upperclasswomen. If/when I have a daughter, it's off to Bryn Mawr for her as long as she doesn't neck on the moon bench.