Pretty much every god or goddesses can be seen as a big whopping symbol of whatever it is they represent. So when Paris has to decide which is the most beautiful (and which has the best bribe), he's also deciding what he values the most in life. When Paris rejects the battle skills offered by Athena, goddess of wisdom and war, and the power offered by Hera, queen of the Gods, he's saying that the things just aren't that important to him. When he chooses Aphrodite, goddess of love, sex, and beauty, and takes the ravishing Helen as his prize, he's declaring to the world that he's a lover, not a fighter.