Looking to the Beginnings

When we look at the world around us, we are very prone to think that some things “just are.” Many aspects of our modern society have been adopted and adapted from other cultures over many centuries. However, oftentimes things that have become commonplace in our everyday lives are attached to deeper cultural meanings that go unseen and misunderstood. In today’s post, I’ll be outlining some things in pop culture that possess a cultural story worth hearing about. As Ray Browne puts it, “popular culture consists of the aspects of attitudes, behaviors, beliefs, customs, and tastes that define the people of any society.”

Henna

In the recent decade, henna has been increasingly adopted as a modern “fashion” trend. It has become so mainstream that the hashtag on Instagram, #henna, currently has over six million posts. Many have stained their skin with the ink, but many less are aware of its history. Henna is actually known as “mehndi” in Urdu and Hindi, and it is approximated that it may have been around for 9,000 years. Regions including the Middle East, India, and Africa are where henna was originally most popular. Though it may come as a surprise, henna was not originally used for artistic expression, but rather homeostatic purposes. As Silk & Stone puts it, henna paste was used by travelers in the desert “to get an air conditioning affect.” The residual patterns of the stain on the skin inspired the substance’s more creative employment. Still today, it is used for spiritual purposes in marriage ceremonies, birthdays, and traditional blessings.

Pizza

While it’s a commonly held belief that pizza was made by the Italians, the truth is that it’s unknown who actually made the first pizza. Back in ancient times, the Greeks, Egyptians, and Babylonians all had their special takes on what we currently call “pizza.” It really makes sense if you think about it, because the primary concept of a pizza is relatively simple: dough, sauce, and maybe some type of topping. However, each culture’s attempt at the food had a creative spin. Naples, Italy, which was occupied heavily by Greek ancient travelers, became a hub for pizza. In the centuries to follow, Italians began to immigrate to other parts of Europe and the world, bringing pizza with them wherever they went. Nowadays, you can find at least 75,243 pizzerias populating the United States.

Braids

From native tribes to the Vikings, and from Africa to China- braids have not originated from a single place. Rather, they have been embedded in the beginnings of many cultural groups. In traditional African tribes, the style of braid an individual wore represented the tribe to which they belonged. Ancient Egyptians employed braids for the purpose of warding off lice and keeping cool in the blazingly harsh sun. Braids in Ancient Greek culture symbolized social class, and therefore were taken very seriously. In some Native American tribes, men would constantly keep their hair tied into braids so that they would be ready to battle at any moment. In Mongolian culture, braids were not outwardly displayed, but rather carefully incorporated and tucked into extravagant headpieces. Today, people who belong to all cultural groups sport braids, and Youtube is filled with tutorial videos that offer lessons in braiding.

Kimono

The word kimono is frequently used modernly to refer to a light outerwear garment or loungewear, but the history of the kimono is too rich to be ignored. Dating back to as early as 710 in Japan, kimonos originated from the creators’ desire for comfort and convenience. If you have ever worn a kimono before, you would know that they’re rather comfy and tend to hang over most parts of the body. The original kimono-making technique, the “straight-line-cut method,” manifested because it voided the maker’s concern for the shape of the wearer’s body. The color of traditional kimonos typically represented one’s social class, but as kimonos became more widely accepted by the Japanese, more vibrant colors became common. Today, the Japanese do not typically wear kimonos on a day-to-day basis, but rather reserve them for special occasions.

Hair Dying

It’s not a new idea to hide grey hairs behind stains of dye. Remember the henna that was previously discussed? It was also used by the Ancient Egyptians to recolor grey hairs. As the practice of hair coloring spread to other cultures, people decided to experiment with a plethora of strategies (and colors) when creating their hair dyes. Some used natural plant or root extracts while others used animal parts; however, all tried their best to concoct safe dyes and avoid anything toxic. Over time, hair dyes became more reliant on tested chemicals instead of natural solutions, which increased the safety of the practice and resulted in a widespread adoration of hair coloring.