A New Plant has Emerged in America

Hands of my relatives and I on our religious holiday
known as Eid (end of Ramadan)

         At the age of 10, I started to notice these cool new stands at the beach with signs reading, "Henna Tattoos." I was shocked that mehndi, the Pakistani-cultural term for henna I knew, was now emerging as a part of American culture. Nowadays, henna is being used by different people in different ways as an artistic design to add to an individual's personality or style.

    

    Henna has been used for centuries in various religious and ethnic groups. It was originally popular in the Middle East, Northern Africa and Asia and has had a multitude of uses. It can adorn a bride on her wedding day, serve as dye for your hair, or provide a reason to gather with friends and have fun. However, in America, henna is still relatively new and not widely used.

     

    The younger generation has begun to experiment with henna, but it hasn't become part of a specific style yet. For example, we associate skinny jeans most often with punks or skaters, but henna is still in the midst of locating its stereotypical identity in the U.S.

      

    Many are saying that the characteristics of henna are the factors that attract mainly two groups of people: the rebel “wanna-be” crowd or the artistic types. Because henna is semi-permanent and only lasts a few weeks, people who desire tattoos but do not wish to commit to something so permanent, have begun using henna. The artsy types use it as an expression of their art on their bodies.

  Young adults and teens are using henna tattoos to rebel in a less extreme way such as: a "henna tramp stamp" which could read "sexy" located on the lower back, or a "henna classy tattoo" which could be a vine of leaves located around the ankle. Young couples could write their names on each other without risking a permanent obligation of an engraved name. Parents might not like the idea, but won’t be able to say anything because it isn’t permanent.

     

     Henna is finding it’s way in American culture, being used as a sort of less-"hardcore" tattoo.

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