#and it makes odysseus' dilemma even more terrifying because now he has to worry about an unwanted pregnancy too

[somereaderinblue]

You've mentioned that Odysseus is dolled up during his time in Troy, so I offer to you that he goes from wearing Penelope's colors/colors in line with her palette to Telemachus (maybe through blankets) and him wearing Paris's colors, like say they start out in blue and eventually they go to reds and violets or whatever color you envision for Paris. He could also be shaved, considering the ancient Greece connotation of youth and lack of power and submission that come from being beardless, just another slap in the face for Odysseus's social standing. Maybe he even goes barefoot most of the time, since iirc ancient Greeks didn't wear shoes at home and well obviously the bedchamber in the Trojan palace is Odysseus's home now.

Also maybe beautiful golden coil bracelets that look like snakes which depending on how they come to be could either mean that a) even after all that Paris is putting him through, Odysseus is still plotting and scheming and fighting and an active danger to Paris or b) the gilded snake bracelets are a representation of what he's seen as: an ornament that hangs from Paris's arm and contributes to nothing. :)

(sorry if this is too much lol I love costume design)

No need for apologies. As someone who's into character design, I love hearing your thought process behind your suggestions! The snake bracelets are my fav detail & one I'm definitely gonna try to incorporate in my own art (once I actually start drawing it asajkdhab).

And yes, I too had imagined Odysseus to be clean-shaven for the same reasons as you mentioned! But also because: (WARNING: SLIGHT SPOILERS UP AHEAD & IMPLIED/REFERENCED NON-CON)

-you know the horror of going to a party, getting black out drunk or worse, roofied, then waking up next to a total stranger in a foreign place with a fresh, raw tattoo on your body? Like, I know in movies this is sometimes used for comedy but personally (& realistically), I find this terrifying.

That's what Odysseus has to grapple with. As mentioned in previous asks, he was drugged/hypnotized during the entire trip, the 'wedding' & the 'consummation'. Then when he's lucid, it's bad enough that Paris has raped him (& that this won't be the last time), when he looks in the mirror, he has to see a physical reminder of his new powerlessness & Paris' ownership.

Plus, keep in mind that Odysseus was 13 when he became king. He probably not only wanted but needed to grow a beard asap to look more 'manly' so others would take him seriously. So yeah, all those years of care & effort, gone, just like that.