Ariana Grande’s henna use becomes a conversation about Kabbalah, cultural appropriation

Published August 9th, 2015 - 03:59 GMT
Ariana Grande's fans on Saturday debated her use of henna as cultural appropriation. (Instagram)
Ariana Grande's fans on Saturday debated her use of henna as cultural appropriation. (Instagram)

A photo on Ariana Grande's Instagram uploaded Saturday night had some fans outraged, criticizing the celebrity for what they called cultural appropriation. 

But the conversation became more complicated when fans realized the American pop star of Italian descent practices Kabbalah, a school of thought believed to have originated from the Middle East

 

henna @iamskot @brilovelife

A video posted by Ariana Grande (@arianagrande) on Aug 8, 2015 at 7:22pm PDT

Some didn't know about her practices.

Others who thought Kabbalah was irrelevant said henna fell under a cultural practice, not a religious one; Grande had no Middle Eastern background. 

The pop star, in an interview with the Sunday Telegraph last year, said she turned to Kabbalah — a form of mysticism originating from Judaism — when her gay brother was rejected by the Catholic Church. 

Regardless, Kabbalah doesn't say anything specifically about its use of henna. Whether Arabs think that qualifies as cultural appropriation is another conversation to have.

By Hayat Norimine

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