The Powerful Meaning Behind Beyoncé’s Baby Shower Belly Art

When Beyoncé does anything, she does it big. Her pregnancy announcement? Iconic. Her pregnancy style? Nailed it. Her recent baby shower? Perfection.

For Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s African-themed occasion known as the “Carter Push Party,” the couple had an elaborate shower surrounded by close family members and a star-studded lineup of friends. While there were so many alluring details to notice at the party, one couldn’t help but be fascinated by the intricate belly art that adorned the 35-year-old megastar’s full-blossoming stomach. We also couldn’t help but wonder what the significance was behind her henna design.

In search of an answer, Yahoo Beauty was able to track down Beyoncé’s baby shower henna artist Deepali Deshpande, who has also worked with celebrities such as Shay Mitchell, Evan Rachel Wood, and Pia Mia.

The mom-to-be picked out a few of her favorite designs from Deshpande’s portfolio, and explained what kind of symmetry she desired. From there, Deshpande was totally free to work her own magic. After a little over two hours, Beyoncé’s very detailed belly art was born.

“The design I created is a fusion of traditional Indian and Moroccan style,” Deshpande tells Yahoo Beauty. “Beyoncé preferred bold geometrical elements of Moroccan designs with Indian traditional filler patterns inside and around the main composition. For pregnant bellies, mandala designs (round patterns) are common choices, but we decided to go with a more diamond-shaped symmetry.”

To customize and help her artwork fully compliment the Carter Push Party theme, Deshpande also added accents of tiny white dots on the edges (using cosmetic grade skin-safe body paint) for the perfect touch of African-inspired tribal art.

We tapped a couple of other top henna artists to get a little more insight on their thoughts of the design and cultural significance. Monita Bijoriya, a certified Ash Kumar henna artist at Henna for All in Plainview, N.Y., already knew that Beyoncé’s henna tattoo was Moroccan-inspired, as it has more of a geometrical shape. “Belly henna decoration during pregnancy came from Moroccan culture,” explains Bijoriya. “It is believed that henna artwork on full-term pregnancy will protect the baby from evil spirits.”

Another seasoned artist, Divya Patel of Henna by Divya, in Toronto, also suggests that the symbols and designs signify a form of protection in addition to providing expectant mothers a sacred moment of relaxation and stillness. “The time that is spent for the mom-to-be during the henna application process is an amazing opportunity to be very still and for her to connect deeply with herself,” says Patel.

For those who’d like to copy Beyoncé’s mesmerizing body art but are concerned about whether it’s safe, henna experts agree that is perfectly harmless as long as the henna used is naturally derived or organic — making it also more suitable for most skin types.

On top of the Lemonade star’s meaningful belly design, team Carter hosted everyone from singer and best friend Kelly Rowland to also-expectant mom Serena Williams at their private Beverly Hills affair. From the looks of all the delighted faces in attendance, Beyoncé’s twins are sure to be surrounded by lots of love and happiness.

We can only imagine what those first adorable photos will look like.

Read more from Yahoo Style + Beauty:

• A Makeup Artist Perfectly Re-created Beyoncé’s Pregnancy Announcement on Her Lips
  

• Beyoncé and Blue Ivy’s Easter Pictures Come to Save the Day
  

• Beyoncé Celebrates Her Baby Shower with a Star-Studded ‘Carter Push Party!’
  

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