*image is from Pinterest- not my own*
Hi everybody,
Hope you are all feeling gooooooooooood.
So, this is the second post in the my cultural appropriation series (first one was on the bindi). I was going through my blog posts last week (as you do), and I saw that I haven’t written anything about henna.
Before I actually start, I just want to make a little note- I am not at all saying that I don’t like the fact that other people wear henna. As I will explain later, my issue is when people basically change its purpose.
I know this topic, and cultural appropriation in general, can cause a lot of divided opinions and friction, but everybody is free to have their own opinion and this is mine. If you do have a differing opinion, I’d love for you to share it in the comments section below- I think it would be great to know your thought process and I think it’s important to understand where other people are coming from.
Henna/Mehndi, for me, brings back so many happy memories from my childhood, like when I was younger (and still now) I remember my sister doing my henna the night before Eid, and feeling so excited. Mehndi, for me is just associated with lots of happy times.
My friend and I brought in henna for our charity week a few years ago to help raise money- we set up a stall and people could pay for designs on their hands. I gave some other people the henna cones because I actually suck at doing henna designs, and I came back at the end of lunch to see how much money had been made. I saw barely any henna designs. People had just taken the cones and had written ‘I love bastille’ and peace signs and emojis all down their arms. That wasn’t cultural appreciation- that is appropriation. Seeing everybody use the henna like that was sad for me because we wanted to share a special part of our culture, and then people went and changed it.
It’s things like this that cause me to become vary wary about all this peace and love and sharing cultures. I think that the majority of people are just curious and want to enjoy other cultures and will treat them with respect, and I love that. But, it’s the kind of people that I’ve mentioned above that make me cautious. I think sometimes it’s just uncomfortable to see parts of your culture become a fashion trend.
I’m not really sure what the message of this post is, but I guess I’m just trying to explain my thought process, because I feel like sometimes people are quick to assume that I’m just this bitter person who dislikes anybody that tries to enjoy my culture. Obviously, that isn’t the case. If you are interested and like certain aspects of a culture, I think you are well within your right to explore and enjoy it. I just don’t like it when people try to change the actual purpose of these things (henna, bindis) for their own benefit. Do you agree/ disagree? Remember to put any opinions down below!
Stay fresh,
Minty xo
July 28, 2017 at 12:57 pm
I truly appreciate your post. I can understand how unappreciated it seems when someone uses one thing for a complete other use. It shouldn’t be done. People might not understand the uses for somethings.
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July 28, 2017 at 5:44 pm
Thank you so much for writing such a sweet and understanding comment!
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July 29, 2017 at 5:20 pm
You’re welcome. Most of us are not familiar with others culture and it is wonderful to read more about it and to understand.
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July 29, 2017 at 5:24 pm
That is an interesting story. Thanks for the thoughts Mintie 🙂
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August 1, 2017 at 10:25 am
Thank you!
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August 28, 2017 at 9:56 pm
It’s a sensitive topic for sure and it really just comes down to respecting one another.
Here’s a fun fact: I am allergic to it. I had it done before a wedding and the next day my hands had reacted and we’re itchy (I have sensitive skin). I remember using it on my nails as a kid with no issue, so maybe it was the brand?
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August 28, 2017 at 10:56 pm
It might have been that specific brand, but it may not have affected you when you wore it on your nails because it wasn’t actually touching your skin, because your nails don’t have nerves in them (I think?) so I wouldn’t have caused you to have a reaction anyway. And I totally agree- respect is super important! xx
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October 1, 2017 at 9:50 am
Anyone can get henna and do henna its the way its used that matters, like yeah you shared your culture the best you could, but would you want to force people to get a certain design, if so you should of said so. A henna design is a henna design, it depends on the meaning that it is given. You could of explained where henna originated and how it related to your culture and have different designs that have meaning in your culture (that can be worn recreationally of course). I get it, I do henna myself, so there has to be a respect there for the art and for other cultures.
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October 1, 2017 at 8:51 pm
You’re right, I should’ve maybe gone more into depth about the origin of henna, but that really wasn’t really the point of the post. It was a rant, I made it so I could share my story (literally) and show people that for me, using henna for purposes other than making the classic henna designs (like tattoos) is not very respectful. I’m sure in the future I might make a post looking into the history of henna, but for now I’m happy just making my point 😊
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