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I wonder if it is normal in English to compare an extremely gorgeous girl / woman to the Greek goddess "Venus" as a complement. If so, then what would you normally say?

  1. She's a Venus.
  2. She's the Venus.
  3. She's like a Venus.
  4. She's like the Venus.
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I don't think that it is normal in English to compare someone to Venus. But if you were to do so, then I would say, "She's like Venus," or if you are talking to her, "you're like Venus, you're as beautiful as Venus, etc." Your first option, 'she's a Venus' is just grammatically incorrect. The second choice, 'she's the Venus' is basically saying that she [the woman that you are talking to] is the only Venus, and does not compare her to Venus in any way. For the third option, which I believe is the best one, I would simply take out the 'a' to make it 'She's like Venus' because that directly compares her likeness to that of Venus'. The 4th option has the same problem as the second, implying that she is the only Venus and not comparing her at all.

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    Your simile "as beautiful as Venus" is best for me. But I think the OP should avoid the comparison entirely. It is an odd thing to say, non-idiomatic and sounds like a silly hyperbole.
    – James K
    Nov 18, 2020 at 7:38
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    I remember from my childhood the pop song 'Venus in Blue Jeans' (1962), but classical references are not common in ordinary conversation, since few people nowadays have a 'classical education'. However, I would dispute Joe's assertion that "She's a Venus" is grammatically incorrect. It's an established usage to say "He's a [famous person]" or "She's no [famous person]", meaning that the subject has, or does not have, the qualities of that person.
    – Kate Bunting
    Nov 18, 2020 at 8:38

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