Gwen Stefani faces criticism over ‘I’m Japanese’ comment in Allure magazine interview

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Lea Dolan, CNN

Music star Gwen Stefani was called out for comments about her affinity with Japan during an interview with Allure magazine, while promoting her beauty brand GXVE.

In the article published on Tuesday, Stefani, 53, spoke at length about her Japanese influences, at one point telling writer Jesa Marie Calaor, while recalling a trip to Japan, “My god, I’m Japanese and I didn’t know it.”

The comment came after Stefani was asked about her previous cosmetic endeavors, specifically her 2008 “Harajuku Lovers” fragrance collection. Released on the heels of her solo album “Love.Angel.Music.Baby”, the marketing and imagery of both the “Harajuku Lovers” fragrance and the original record borrowed heavily from the colorful Japanese subculture. In the early 2000s, Stefani appeared regularly on the red carpet with an entourage of four Japanese dancers Maya Chino (nicknamed “Love”), Jennifer Kita (“Angel”), Rino Nakasone (“Music”) and Mayuko Kitayama (“De baby”).

Stefani has come under fire in recent years for her perceived appropriation of Japanese culture in the 2000s. Calaor, who is Filipino American, asked Stefani if ​​she learned anything from that time in her career. In response, Stefani opened up about her father’s regular business trips to Japan, saying he would return with “fascinating” stories for her, before telling Calaor she thought she was Japanese when she first visit to the Harajuku district in Tokyo. She later called herself a “superfan” of the culture as well.

“If (people are going to) criticize me for being a fan of something beautiful and sharing it, then I just think it’s wrong,” she told Calaor, in defense of her Harajuku era. “I think it was a great period of creativity… a period of ping-pong between Harajuku culture and American culture,” Stefani continued. “If we hadn’t bought and sold and traded our crops, we wouldn’t have so much beauty, you know?”

Representatives for Stefani did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment on the article or social media’s subsequent response.

Calaor highlighted his unease with Stefani’s comments, especially in the “sobering” context of heightened racism toward Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities in the United States. “I envy anyone who can claim to be part of this vibrant and creative community, but avoid the part of the story that can be painful or scary,” she wrote.

On social media, negative reactions to Stefani’s interview ranged from bewilderment to anger. “Gwen Stefani’s publicist must be busy today,” read a tongue-in-cheek tweet from American author Roxane Gay, while The Cut reporter Olivia Truffaut-Wong accused Stefani of using “Asian women as props to help him get rich”.

According to Allure, Stefani’s team reached out the day after the interview, saying Calaor had “misunderstood” what Stefani was trying to say, but did not respond to a request for a follow-up interview or offer recorded clarifications. comments.

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