Femininity & Henna (Excerpt from my dissertation, Plants for Politics: Mehendi & its Socio-Political Impact on Indian Cultures.)

Henna is culturally perceived as a feminine form of expression and women across Asia, Africa and the Middle East are generally credited for its discovery and development. Beauty rituals are frequently categorised as "for women" and Henna, being a type of body art that enhances appearance, is also subject to this gender politics. The designs themselves are floral and delicate, characteristics that are typically associated with femininity. Since the designs adhere to conventional notions of what constitutes a "feminine" aesthetic, Henna as a whole is overlooked as a feminine ritual rather than an art form that requires great skill and practice. However, all genders are free to use it and it has been applied by men in various traditions such as Hindu marriage in regions like Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Orissa, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

The association between femininity and Henna is multifaceted, blending artistic, spiritual, and social dimensions. Whether in traditional ceremonies or modern adaptations, Henna serves as a powerful emblem of female beauty and empowerment across diverse cultures as well as identities. Henna is used to mark rites of passage or big transitions in women’s lives such as marriage, childbirth and other celebratory occasions. Rituals such as Night of Henna are traditions that support female solidarity and women owned businesses. Mehendi also becomes a lucrative and socially acceptable vocation for women in conservative societies where it is discouraged for them to work. It is a low investment business that can be operated from the comfort of their homes with the freedom to choose their own working hours by scheduling appointments to fit their routine.

 Henna's history is intricate and frequently interwoven with women's oral histories, especially in cultures where women's responsibilities were traditionally more constrained. In many cultures, Henna has long been utilised as a means of individual and group expression. Women's gatherings for Henna application in these communities provided a forum for storytelling and social contact, allowing women to exchange experiences, pass down customs, and feel supported and part of a community. In addition to their aesthetic value, henna designs and patterns may also represent the aspirations, issues, and desires of the women who wore them. In modern times,Henna serves an affirmation of identity for the brown queer community. Hijras or the transgender community spread across South Asia use Henna to integrate and transition into their gender as well as cultural identity. Brown queer diaspora living abroad share their experience that applying Henna was a way to express identity and maintain cultural ties in an environment where gender norms around its use were not recognised. Therefore,Henna can be a form of self-expression. The designs are often intricate and personal,allowing individuals to showcase their creativity and style.

However, the deep association of Henna with femininity overshadows its appreciation as an art form and propagates gender stereotypes. For example, I grew up hearing the phrase “Do you have Mehendi on your hands?”as a taunting or derogatory remark to men when they didn't work or opted out of physical labour. This implied that applying Mehendi was a privilege restricted to women. It is culturally frowned upon for men to wear Henna in many societies as it is restricted to being a feminine trait. Mehendi artists I interviewed suggest that most men today work in corporate jobs in urban cities and choose to opt out of applying Henna for their wedding as the stains remain for 1-2 weeks and may be considered unprofessional for corporate settings. Recent research brings to light another reason men may have been historically discouraged to wear Henna; a glucose deficiency called G6PD, which is dominant mostly in males. While Henna usually carries no significant medical complications in a healthy individual, Henna in a patient with G6PD deficiency can cause serious medical complications, including life-threatening hemolytic anaemia.Historically, it was not possible to identify men who carried this recessive trait making them susceptible to poisoning from excessive Henna use, leading to simpler and lighter henna designs for males.

Henna is associated with fertility of women as the leaves taken internally claim to help with treatment of amoebic dysentery and regulate menstrual flow16. It is common to decorate pregnant bellies with Henna as in areas with hotter climates, as Henna has a cooling effect on the skin. Ingesting Henna leaves as a way of inducing an abortion is part of home remedies in Nigeria and Iraq. 17A study conducted by University of Nigeria found that the methanolic extract of Lawsonia inermis effectively causes abortion in mice, rats, and guinea pigs, with the impact depending on the dose, supporting its traditional use for inducing abortion in Nigeria.

Henna, traditionally used for its beauty and cultural significance, has also found a place in protest art. Activists and artists have utilised Henna's temporary nature to create powerful statements on the skin, which can be a form of silent protest or solidarity. The intricate designs can carry messages of resistance, hope, or unity, often related to issues of gender equality, social justice, or political freedom. With this form of body art, people may express themselves both publicly and privately while still displaying their opinions in a visually striking manner without the permanent nature of a tattoo. Protest art uses henna, a customary symbol of celebration, to advocate for causes and raise awareness. This shows how cultural practices can be modified to serve as platforms for contemporary activism. It has been a feminist symbol and medium of self-expression throughout history for women.

To conclude, Henna is not just a beauty tool to convey femininity but a multicultural document of womanhood and how that experience varies among different cultures. It records through visual patterns the key transition points in women's lives and we see how this has been culturally tied to patriarchal notions of marriage and childbirth. The feminine perception of this art form highlights the gender politics surrounding art as it has been historically overlooked, undervalued and understudied simply because it revolves around women. It is often underappreciated the great skill and patience it requires to be a Henna artist, creating culturally relevant designs directly onto the skin which cannot be corrected once applied. The oral history regarding the use of Henna for abortion and subsequent medical studies proving them right, shows how women from certain cultures protested their right to bodily autonomy in secret and also passed down this knowledge to the next generation of women in their culture. This shows how Henna is something more than cosmetic appeal and the rituals surrounding it are more social than religious. They allowed private spaces for women from conservative societies to discuss sensitive topics such as abortion and formulate their own solutions. As art generally does, Henna has been a language for countless marginalised sections of society such as the Hijaras and has supported the brown diaspora to reconnect with their heritage. Henna has not just been used as a medium in protest art but its history, development and continuing use carries the essence of activism propagated by women and for women. Now secularised and modernised by social media trends, it is integral to credit the Eastern feminist history that Henna comes from.

Bibliography

1. Uddin, Shahamat “As a Queer Desi, Henna Art Helps Me Honor My Divine Femininity.” Them. July 8, 2018

2. Al-Hinai, A.,&Al Sawafi, A.S.(2023).Severe Hyperbilirubinemia Secondary to Henna Application in a Neonate With G6PD Deficiency: A Case Report and Literature Review. Cureus,15(2).

3. New World Encyclopedia contributors, "Mehndi," New World Encyclopedia, accessed January 19, 2024.

4. Aguwa, C. Nze. “Toxic Effects of the Methanolic Extract of Lawsonia Inermis Roots.” International Journal of Crude Drug Research 25, no. 4 (1987): 241–45.

5.  Noam Sienna. (2011) “Old Patterns, New Skin: Jewish Henna Ceremonies and the Politics of Heritage.”

6. Rabeeha Abdurehim, “Kerala students protest through Mehendi”, Newslaundry, published 27th June 2017.

7.