Downloading a clue (liked the phrase...)
Posted by Giselle on December 21, 1999 at 08:39:37:
In Reply to: Hmm... hoping I'm doing this right, plus a worry.. posted by Amy L. on December 21, 1999 at 07:49:23:
Good luck, Amy!!
Maybe just search the web and find a decent explanation and history
that's brief and easy to scan through and print it out and show it to
your parents. Emphasize the fact that this is an ancient tradition
handed down from mother to daughter (don't say something like
Madonna's doing it!, because you'll totally lose any respect -- unless
of course your parents HAPPEN to like Madonna). Even offer to do it on
your own mother. You may think that's crazy and you may know your mom
will say no to it, but if she thinks that you think it's decent enough
for your MOM then it must not be THAT bad. I'm not trying you to get
to do any phsychological ploys, because honestly I would like to try
this on my mom, but seeing that she's out of state, it's not happening
any time soon.
Well, if you think it's worth the risk, then just do it. Give yourself
enough credit that you are intelligent enough to learn about a
wonderful artform that has no terrible side-effects, and is beautiful
and is not disfiguring. Be patient, you're not going to win any
battles arguing. Keep a positive attitude (yes, it's hard at times
when you want to be yourself and you feel your parents aren't letting
you). But most of all remember that your parents may not like it, but
the more you try to educate them on the history and the beauty of it,
the less need they'll feel offended by it. You might also want to
reassure them (if this is the case) that this is not the first step in
a long line of body modification such as piercings and tattoos -- that
you appreciate Mehndi for it's <