MOSCOW, RUSSIA, August 6, 2002: “Bindi iz Indii” (“Bindis from India”) are the new craze among young Russian girls. Bindis are being used as an element of body art along with pierced noses, tattoos and mehndi-dyed hands. Many girls display fancy bindis on their bellies, a thing unimaginable in Communist Russia where tight jeans, mini-skirts, hotpants and tank tops were virtually a taboo, not to mention in India where the belly isn’t considered a bindi-placing place. Ready-to-use self-sticking bindis can be bought in many kiosks selling Indian souvenirs and incense sticks as well as high-profile beauty parlors. In a recent program on fashion, popular radio station Ekho Moskvy (Moscow Echo) described the history of bindis and their usage as an element of body art. The program gave instructions on how to prolong the life of factory-made self-sticking bindis as well as how to make them at home and decorate them with cheap artificial stones and beads.
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