Julia Hardy
Arts, Entertainment and Technology Editor
Ever since the summer days when drawings of “This is Bob” covered the hands of every elementary school student, using skin as a canvas has always been popular. “When there’s more skin showing in the summer, there’s more room to decorate yourself,” junior Olivia DePalo said. More recently, Henna ink has replaced the Crayola markers as the new medium for summer art.
Henna is natural ink that stains the skin in a desired pattern for a little less than two weeks. Though it originated in India, where intricate designs decorate the bride and guests for weddings, it has come to this half of the globe as a way to express creativity.
So how did Henna get to New Canaan? For sophomore Meaghan Lawrence, the Indian tradition was her first introduction to Henna tattoos. “My sister came back from a trip to India and she had this brown stuff all over her foot,” she said. “I asked her if she would care to explain.”
For others, such as senior Veronica Hoeft, it was a mix of the media and tradition. “I think I first heard about Henna through the movie She’s the Man,” she said. “But it wasn’t until I went to a wedding in India that I really understood it.”
Although the design is up to the creator, popular choices are parts of nature like flowers and suns on hands, feet and ankles. “I always have a sun on the top of my foot,” senior Katrine Reddin said. “My favorite designs though are a really intricate feather and an elephant whose trunk travels up your finger.”
Like Katrine, many Henna users have their own staple design. Olivia, an avid doodler, likes to apply the patterns she draws on paper to Henna. “My favorite creation is a tribal design on my hand,” she said. “It’s so intricate but pretty at the same time.”
According to Meaghan, one of the benefits of Henna tattoos is its simplicity. “Henna is really easy to use,” she said. “You don’t really have to plan out what you’re going to make, you can just create designs as you go.”
Katrine agreed. “I love how I can express whatever I’m feeling in the moment, but then it disappears and I can re-express myself,” she said.
Despite the easy on and off, the amateur user should still take some precaution. “It smells weird,” Meaghan said. “And it can still stain your skin if you wipe it off after just a few minutes, so you have to be a little careful.”
For Veronica, henna has had a larger impact than the short time she used it. “I have only had henna done that one time at the wedding but I think that will always be my favorite,” she said. “The designs were so convoluted that no other creation would compare.”
