hi! i wanted to ask if doing henna for others for money was ok?? im yemeni/somali and i live in an abusive house and im not allowed to get a job. and the only skill that im good at is henna art and i can do it at school. although i feel guilty doing it for ppl not of that culture i rly need the money. i just wanted to ask ur opinion on it since ur well informed and i just wanted to keep it in mind. i hope this made sense and thank u
some of my thoughts on cultural appropriation are laid out in my tag for it (see especially here and here) but basically, cultural appropriation is harmful because it constitutes the exploitation of cultural creations by a dominant group in a way that does not benefit the originating culture. you doing henna art would not fall under that definition and I don’t believe that it would be harmful at all.
it’s still possible for people’s motives for getting henna to be racist or exotifying even if it’s not actually appropriation, and I’m sorry that you’re put into that position if that’s what’s bothering you, but ultimately I don’t think that it’s anything you need to feel guilty about. there’s nothing wrong with wanting to get paid for a skill that you have, especially if you need the money. you could always explain the significance and background of henna to your customers / talk about why getting henna done by like, random white people on beach boardwalks is harmful if it helps to put you at ease. either way I hope that things start to look up for you soon & I wish you all the best sister <3