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let's talk about bindi and cultural appropriation once and for all:
know that i'm brahmin hindu woman who grew up wearing bindi most days. i myself was and am contradicted about the whole ordeal and hence i want to open this conversation. i wouldn't be spewing facts here i just want to be settled on this matter so feel free to give me your input.
cultural appropriation strips the religious, historical and cultural context of something and makes it mass-marketable. bindi is a sacred symbol to jain and hindu culture. so the conversation should be airtight but it isn't why?
what is the cultural significance of bindi? a survey suggests that out of 50 indian hindu women chosen none of them knew it's exact cultural and historical significance. i didn't know either before making this thread. so let's put light on that
The area between the eyebrows, the sixth chakra is known as the 'agna' meaning 'command', is the seat of concealed wisdom. It is the center point wherein all experience is gathered in total concentration. According to the tantric cult, when during meditation the latent energy
('kundalini') rises from the base of the spine towards the head, this 'agna' is the probable outlet for this potent energy. The red 'kumkum' between the eyebrows is said to retain energy in the human body and control the various levels of concentration.
Traditional bindi is red or maroon in color. A pinch of vermilion powder applied skillfully with practiced fingertip make the perfect red dot. First, they apply a sticky wax paste on the empty space in the disc. This is then covered with kumkum or vermilion and then the disc is
removed to get a perfect round bindi. Sandal, 'aguru', 'kasturi', 'kumkum' (made of red turmeric) and 'sindoor' (made of zinc oxide and dye) make this special red dot. more information on the significance of bindi: https://www.learnreligions.com/bindi-the-great-indian-forehead-art-1770089
The 5,000 year old tradition of adorning my forehead with kumkum just doesn’t seem to align with the current bindi collection in my dresser — the 10-pack, crystal-encrusted, multi-colored stick-on bindis that have been designed to perfectly complement my outfit.
the perfect red circular dot is now available in different shapes and colors. it is an ingenious easy-to-use alternative to the powder. Today, the bindi is more of a fashion statement than anything else, and the number of young performers sporting bindis is overwhelming.
Indians appreciated the beauty of a bindi and brought it into the world of fashion several decades ago. I don’t recall an uproar when Indian actress Madhuri Dixit‘s bindi was no longer a traditional one. Hindus accepted the evolution of this cultural symbol then.
And, as the bindi makes it’s way to the foreheads of non-south asians i still remain contradicted even confused as to if it should be a cultural appropriation. should we celebrate that people are finding this part of our culture beautiful? what are your thoughts?
sources:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-a-bindi-is-not-an-exa_b_5150693
https://www.learnreligions.com/bindi-the-great-indian-forehead-art-1770089
…http://viewsonculturalappropriation.weebly.com/the-bindi.html
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-a-bindi-is-not-an-exa_b_5150693
https://www.learnreligions.com/bindi-the-great-indian-forehead-art-1770089
…http://viewsonculturalappropriation.weebly.com/the-bindi.html
adding again in this thread none of these things in the thread is written by me and me only most of these are from the articles mentioned above! i am not spewing facts but rather opening a conversation.
