Gwen Stefani's Harajuku Era: Appropriation or Appreciation?
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2023
- Where are Gwen Stefani's Harajuku Girls now? What is the difference between cultural appropriation and appreciation? Did Gwen Stefani really say "My God, I’m Japanese and I didn’t know it” to a Filipina American woman? (The answer to that last question: yes)
On January 24th 2023, Michelle Yeoh made history as the first actress of Asian descent to be nominated for Best Actress at the 2023 Oscars (Merle Oberon, India-born actress, was nominated in the 1930s but purposefully hid her heritage). In a world where Hollywood's bamboo ceiling is slowly being dismantled and #StopAAPIHate, let’s look into the importance of Asian representation.
⭐LINKS:
Allure Magazine Interview - www.allure.com/story/gwen-ste...
Fashion Mentor's Video (All The Times Gwen Stefani Appropriated Other Cultures Fashion) - • All The Times Gwen Ste...
For Harriet's Video (My Fave is Problematic: Gwen Stefani, Queen of Cultural Appropriation) - • My Fave is Problematic...
Vice Article on Gwen Stefani's Cultural Appropriation Legacy - www.vice.com/en/article/nepnq...
Love. Appropriation. Music. Baby : Gwen Stefani and her Harajuku girls Masters Thesis by Rachel Matlow - spectrum.library.concordia.ca...
Megan Catherine Rose's Thread on the Stefani Discourse as a Cultural Sociologist - megan_c_rose/stat...
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“We live in a beautiful and diverse world. We should celebrate and enjoy the many different and contrasting cultures. They help give texture and creativity and diversity to our world. But as we appreciate other cultures, let’s be sure we’re doing it with the right intentions-to learn, to gain understanding, and to ultimately show honor and value.” -preemptivelove.org
Intent. That is the key word. What was her intent? I think it was love of the culture. I think that’s a good thing.
@@tidalboxer That's fine, but intent isn't all that matters, treating people with respect is arguably even more important. If I punch you in the face, does it help you to know that I was thinking loving thoughts while doing it? Of course not, our words and actions impact other people more than our secret thoughts and feelings do.
No one would care if Gwen fell in love with the fashion and hired a Japanese stylist to dress her for the album, the problem is that she reduced human beings to silent props, and encouraged people to fetishize their race. It's the same as when Miley Cyrus hired black women to stand on stage during her twerking phase, and face their butts towards the audience so that we could watch Miley spank them. So bizarre! If you want to do the dance yourself, go ahead and do it. It's really adding insult to injury to borrow something from another culture and then hire people from that culture to stand there while you publicly mock them.
Great video! I always liked Gwen's music and I was around 14/15 when she started her solo era with the Harajuku girls. I'd been into j-fashion since I was 11 and it made me excited to see that something I cared so much about was getting recognition in mainstream culture at first. But then I saw an interview where she had the girls sitting behind her and she told the interviewer not to talk to them. It felt very strange and as if they were just props and it made me dislike her. It's good to know they had positive experiences with Gwen, but she clearly either doesn't understand or care about the impact she's made in appropriating other cultures. She really has always done it too, with wearing the bindi in the early No Doubt days. It's so disappointing to see someone double down on things instead of growing and apologising.
Now that you mentioned about Gwen saying to the interviewer to not talk to the Harajuku girls, I remember when they were all on an episode of TRL and they were just behind Gwen. They wouldn't say anything while one of the VJs was interviewing Gwen. I didn't get why they were acting like that, but I didn't think anything of it at the time. Now it's making more sense after watching this!
I still like Gwen Stefani's music, but I have mixed feelings about her Harajuku Era.
i agree on what you've said about her doubling down plus the behavior she had with the girls she worked with but i feel it must be said that gwen has gone on record saying the bindi she wore was given to her by her then-boyfriend's mother who was indian.
Gurl no one is upset,white culture is boring so I dnt blame her for borrowing others.
Nah fam, wearing a bindi is cool to do. I am 100% European but I wore bindis when I was young as I have 2 half Indian half brothers. Their grandma, in which they call avva, would give me a bindi every time she came over. It is an instresting point though, knowing that she is appropriating Japanese cultures.
@@ILoveCatsSoMuch4352it was fine FOR YOU because you had a connection to the culture. not for any random person
I don't think being inspired by Japanese fashion is wrong (different from cultural dress where it depends on context, education, respect, etc) however, dehumanising Japanese people and treating them like they're toys is the wrong part. It shows when you're informed by genuine love and inspiration and when you're just playing dress up.
Gwen's harajuku era songs, specifically the ones that had music videos with the japanese backup dancers in it, were considered cringe and wrong (cultural appropriation, before that term was commonly used) by many lolitas back when they came out. Despite that I still had some of those songs on my mp3 player for a while because I enjoyed them as long as I didn't listen to the lyrics and as long as I didn't watch the music videos. Lots of people who wore lolita fashion were angry about Gwen and her harajuku era. They would say things like "it's stupid that she thinks she's the first one to discover this, or that she thinks she owns it, misrepresenting the different fashions of harajuku and then cashing in on it, she doesn't respect it". A common point of discussion was people claiming the back up dancers weren't even japanese, but just some non japanese asians Gwen was presenting as japanese. A lot of lolitas were actually really over the top excited at the announcement of these songs and the clips, but when they came out most people were hugely disappointed. The fact that the dancers weren't allowed to speak was also pretty creepy. Like they were just moving dolls to her. She was also dragged over the coals for being wapanese (wannabe japanese).
I would love to see a video where you talk about Filipina representation because as a Filipina raised in the United States it definitely lacks and I definitely related to the allure authors comment on “desperate for any representation even if it isn’t your own”
Speaking of the Philippines, I had a coworker who said that it was not an Asian country, and didn’t believe me when I looked it up to correct them. We have a mutual who is Filipino, he’s straight up Asian. Goes there for the holidays sometimes. And you’re telling me it’s not an Asian country? 😭
@@alexthehamster4564as a Filipino, I hate to break it to them, but I am Asian💀 I admit that the Philippines is interesting bc culturally, linguistically and geographically there is quite an overlap of Asia and Austronesia/Pacific Islands, not to mention our Hispanic colonization and ancestry so there is some debate to how “Asian” we are but I’d say my family and all the other Filipinos that Ik are all part of the consensus that we’re Asian, there is zero doubt abt it😭 Many Tagalog words are very similar to or are derived from southern Chinese dialect(s) and many Filipinos are Tsinoy (incl me), meaning of Chinese descent
my birth mother used her clothing line as an excuse to fetishize me and ONLY dress me in harujuku girl clothing and trying to turn me into a dancer because of her. Her influence and fanbase is so incredibly blind to the racist effect it has.
Sounds like you have a mom issue not a Gwen issue. Stop blaming 3rd parties for existing.
Keep crying about your imaginary story
@@yellowmesh7821its still related,please be quiet
@@yeojinnie now how y'all gonna make Gwen Stefani the perpetrator of abuse for having a clothing line ,here. Please enlight me.
@@yellowmesh7821 did you even watch the video?
Racial appropriation is taking the things you deem "cool" about someone's ethnicity while leaving the person and their culture behind..while racial appreciation is being inspired by the entire ethnic culture and respecting them as a whole..if u want to wear a certain hairstyle know why the style is important to that people and go to a person of that ethnicity to get the hairstyle done for example..
Japan is a settler colonial state void of any culture. Harajuku is not culture its imported American Consumerism lol.
so black women wearing blonde wigs is racial appropriation?
Aww poor.. first world problems from america
@@trynagirl685yea cause it did pretty much start with native americans.
@@trynagirl685and no shit it’s american. we have many cultures in one spot. while other countries mostly have one race.
Thank you for covering this..I had no idea she was STILL milking the Harajuku brand aesthetic..I stopped being a fan because of this Era. As someone who has an accessories label influenced by Japanese culture I never claimed anything as my own..I wear Jfashion from actual Japanese brands and I visited Japan where they loved my label and was shocked how well I incorporated Harajuku street fashion with the US...I even have ny relative who is fluent in Japanese make sure all our writing is done properly on our pieces...
Hey sis, if you don’t mind, what’s the name of your brand? I’d love to support ❤️
@@shaani7978 I second that question!
You stopped being a fan because of this era? You're acting like she's racist 🙄 when that's not the case. She's allowed to like Japanese brands.
Are you ignorant? She has a song called Harajuku Girls that reference Hysteric Glamour, Yohji Yamamoto, Super Lovers, and Comme Des Garcons.
Basically ur no different from Gwen lmaoo
This is a great video. I was a fan of No Doubt as a kid but never had an appreciation for Gwen as a solo artist, I just wanted No Doubt back. I think I was too young to understand some of the other questionable stuff around her, until Harajuku Girls. Similarly to you, at the time she founded "Harajuku Girls", I'd been wearing decora fashion, and had a very strong fascination with Harajuku and Fruits magazine. I loved supporting Harajuku brands and artists. To hear Harajuku uttered from any western outlet was very exciting, about as excited as I was to hear Shonen Knife in American cartoons or that there was a cartoon about Puffy, bands that I loved and didn't expect to have recognition outside Japan. This excitement was immediately followed by disappointment. I didn't see anything representative of Harajuku to me, about as representative as the "Fook Mi" and "Fook Yu" giggling childlike stereotype schoolgirls from Austin Powers. It was a raw feeling to see Harajuku become a buzzword and a brand without promoting anything related to Harajuku, and seeing that the concept built by subcultures that weren't treated so kindly in Japan was lining the pockets of someone who wasn't promoting or supporting what made Harajuku iconic( I remember a man saying he hated Harajuku kids because a decora girl kicked him in the balls.... If it really happened, i figured he did something to provoke it, considering other aspects of his personality). I'd noticed a trend resulting of people purposely putting together "tacky" outfits as "Harajuku costumes".
Kudos to everyone who might have somehow discovered this world through this, then and now, instead of taking the branding at face value.
LITERALLY. it's insane to me that she felt that she was 'literally japanese' and so in love with the culture n yet all that she could dress the LAMB girls with and sell were stereotypes and grossly misrepresented street style fashion...
" I remember a man saying he hated Harajuku kids because a decora girl kicked him in the balls..." what an icon she is
I dislike the term cultural "appreciation" bc it's so vague. It focuses too much on individual intent & feelings & things that can't be clearly defined. Imo the real indicator of appreciation for a cultural custom AND the ppl who created it, is accepting that it may not be something outsiders can participate in. That doesn't mean you can't still enjoy it or find meaning in it. But imo you can't truly "appreciate" a culture if you aren't willing to look, but not touch.
Like, jfashion culture is something that the Japanese alt fashion community (for the most part) wants foreigners to participate in. We are explicitly invited to wear it, contribute creatively, & support the artists & business behind it.
But that still doesn't give us free reign to center ourselves in jfashion history, or make ourselves the public face of the art form.
On the other hand, protective hairstyles in black culture are INHERENTLY a closed practice. The whole point of braids, twists & locs is to prevent types of damage that loosely curled or straight hair is not at risk of, bc the literal, anatomical structure of our hair follicles is different. If you don't have tightly coiled or kinky hair, protective styles are incompatible with & will in fact DAMAGE your hair. Disregarding that just shows you never had real respect or "appreciation" for the culture to begin with.
This is such a good take!
Only think I’d like to add is I am not sure exactly how you’re defining loosely curled hair but their are definitely ethnic groups in Africa with looser hair textures that use their own types of braids who would still roughly fall under the term black for example Ethiopian/Eritrean Albasso braids or Tuareg braided hairstyles ❤️but a lot of these styles aren’t the ones being used by non-black people
Exactly! Appreciating a culture for me is knowing and accepting that some practices are closed and only for members of that community. I love the various forms of tattooing seen in Indigenous cultures around the world (Māori, Inuit, etc) and they’re beautiful art forms to me but I’d never get one myself because it’s not for me.
THANK YOU
@@kennyb1588 Nuance is great. These are good examples.
That being said, I always find it very interesting that there's almost always pushback against the closed-practiced associated with Black hair. The type of styles, admittedly, that this comment acknowledge it wasn't referring to.
exactly. the reason appropriation gets brushed over so much is because people have their own ideas of appreciation and will disregard how people of that culture feel
Thank you so much for making this video. It is incredibly informational and I love how you went into detail about who each Harajuku Girl is.
Thank you for your effort on this well-researched video! I'm glad to know the Harajuku Girls at least had good memories of that time. But wow, I wish I had known they also had their own stellar careers, too. Music did the choreo for Replay, one of the MOST iconic kpop debuts??? That's WILD, I feel sad that I didn't know how accomplished these women were til now. And that's what makes the concept kinda gross.
I can understand how Gwen believes she really is just taking inspiration from various things in her life that inspired her (and the story about her dad on business trips to Japan was genuinely sweet). But it just so quickly ramps up into exploitation. Personally, I have a ton of appreciation for various aspects of Korean culture (the food, learning the language, even living there for some time). Even if my Korean friends joke that I'm "practically Korean", there's the understanding that that's..... a joke. A comment on how I might be putting in the effort to appreciate a culture. Not that I'm literally Korean now. I'm not and I don't want or need to be.
No amount of dressing the part, speaking the part, eating the food, whatever will give you the same perspective and somebody who LIVES in their culture and can't just switch out of it if they find something cooler. Which is actually a great thing, I think. Proves you don't have to *be* part of a culture to appreciate it, which is what Gwen probably *thought* she was promoting the whole time, but missed the point.
I think the trademark dispute shows Gwen's ignorance the most blatantly. You can love a culture, want to learn more about it, and adopt aspects of it for yourself, but the moment you try to claim ownership of it and are convinced that your limited knowledge of it is grounds enough for that because you've made yourself the face of it in an environment that isn't all that educated on it, you've probably gone too far…
Thank you so much for this video! I'm part Japanese and always felt a little weird about a white woman trying to be the face of Harajuku in Western pop music but I think for a long time tiny me (who was raised in a Western country and a predominantly white environment) wasn't really able to pinpoint why. I think Gwen's childhood fascination with Japan is understandable, but it's sad if you can't look at that as an adult and be more discerning about it - especially in that most recent Allure article! Also not necessarily surprising but still really disappointing to see that Japanese culture isn't the only one she has treated so carelessly.
So, you must really hate Tokyo Joe's or California Pizza Kitchen then. How dare they trademark names when they aren't actually based there...what a ridiculous argument.
@@thedoublea147 OP is specifically talking about Gwen’s cultural appropriation, such as appropriating aspects such as black hairstyles like bantu knots, indigenous hairdresses, and a myriad of other incidents where she picked and chose parts of different cultures, and how her comments regarding Japanese culture are reflective that she hasn’t changed. Also- California Pizza Kitchen and Tokyo Joe’s is a different matter because fashion is specifically being discussed here, and Pizza Kitchen does not compare to cultural appropriation because Italians are not a minority group, so there is no power imbalance. On the subject back to Stefani, I don’t blame OP for feeling weird about Gwen Stefani trying to weasel her way into being the face of a Japanese substyle to specifically profit off of stereotypes- the issue arises especially when Stefani started claiming she was Japanese and making her way into Japanese spaces, and continually using the Harajuku Girls to reinforce these stereotypes of Japanese people, specifically Japanese women.
And why just weird about the white? Lol
I'm hesitant to use the term cultural appropriation, because I am aware of how it was coined to as part of a movement that engaged harassment of mixed Indigenous women. The 1992 article conserning Hoppi religous pratices where the term comes from is available online but earlier references are no longer available. (Due the misconduct of of the authors) In most cases "exoticifation" works, and it highlights the action rather than trying to define an in-group and out-group. Rather than saying "you're not X enough to do this" rather "the way this is depicted is idealized and limited"
Ah I did not know that about the term cultural appropriation. When I looked into it on the Encyclopaedia Britannica, it says “Taking off in the 1980s, the term cultural appropriation was first used in academic spaces to discuss issues such as colonialism and the relationships between majority and minority groups.” but I am definitely going to look more into the 1992 article concerning Hoppi religious practices, thank you for sharing!
@@TheSamELopez Since post-WW2, America and Japan have had an incredibly complicated relationship. To say nothing of the treatment of Japanese-Americans in America. It's a lot more nuanced than just "colonizer" and "colonized"
@@TheSamELopez I think it depends on the case, like someone from a country that was colonized or impacted in an imperialistic way appropriating said coloziner's culture wouldn't have the same connotations
@@TheSamELopez the quote says “AND the relationships between majority and minority groups” not just the issues of colonialism.
Every country/culture has majority and minority groups no matter their history.
@@TheSamELopez I’m so confused by your comment I don’t even know where to start.
Black people are a minority in Asian countries and there is a lot of racism in that regard.
A country doesn’t need to colonize or be colonized for there to be majority and minority groups, I literally said that already.
The video already gave some insight into the difference between appropriation and appreciation, this is not a topic you can expect someone to explain in a comment section.
Gwen might have had a good connection with with the girls, but you can't deny that the make up was absolutely atrocious, they really did the harajuku girls dirty!! 😭😭😭
I always thought the makeup was cool bc it had some of the chola aesthetic, it’s popular here in Orange County, I just figured Gwen put a twist of her love for Orange County into their aesthetic…They looked good to me. Idk why things have to be so complicated these days lol
makeup was camp
@@nekomantix598 I'm specifically talking about the cheap Geisha look, where their make up enforces the harajuku girls to look like chickens 🤡🐔, example: rich girls 🙃🙃🙃
@@cutecatsara123making fun of geisha makeup is the opposite of what this video is trying to promote. Cultural appreciation. It’s not American enough for you and so that’s why you think it’s weird and ugly. But it is beautiful in a way you aren’t used to. You just don’t have enough of an eye to see beauty in all it’s unique forms. If only we were all exposed to different cultures as kids, it wouldn’t be so weird to us as adults.
Just say you hate Latinas
I’m a huge Gwen fan. I’ve been following her since I was like 5. When I was a kid, I basically worshipped harajuku lovers and remember lugging around my HJL purse, and my multiple (extremely cute) t shirts. As I got older I stopped with the clothes but I kept collecting the perfumes, and I swear they still hold up. I think coming to terms with her problematic past is important for fans to do, but I think it’s ok to keep listening to the music or wearing the perfume if it’s special to you
Before finding this video, I was actually just discussing this with a friend. I think a lot of people can safely appreciate a culture without being disrespectful but I do think some cases are over dramatized for the sake of starting drama, such as the case where this one girl on Instagram who isn’t Japanese but lives in Japan who has embraced their culture has been told she’s appropriating, despite her not claiming to be Japanese or using their language or clothing as a prop. But then there’s people like Gwen Stefani, who has used Japanese women and the culture as a prop and that’s what’s gross or Oli London who acted like he was changing into different K-pop idols like Jimin, Rosé and Hyunjin, which is offensive and obsessive. I just hope we can go into a better world where we can embrace each other without offending each other. There’s so much beauty across the world and so many cultures have amazing food, clothing, languages, etc etc. So instead of fetishization or obsession with no actual knowledge of the culture you’re fetishizing is where people get upset. Like someone claiming he made Korean fried chicken without using any Korean ingredients, wearing cultural clothes or styles without having knowledge of the culture or to use it as a costume. You can admire the culture, once again, without fetishizing it or using the culture as a prop.
I really enjoyed this video and found it really informative, I have never been much of a fan of Gwen but I am a lover of alternative fashion with a particular interest in J fashion. The whole topic of culture appreciation vs appropriation, has always been complicated especially as a bi racial person who sometimes struggles to find balance in both of my cultures.
Great video, I'm an old man (42) who grew up with No Doubt and I found this informative and interesting.
This was a really interesting video - I remember wearing the perfume as a young filipina interested in Japanese culture but it always seemed so weird to me just how obsessed Gwen was with Japanese stereotypes lol. I just wanted to mention Oli London is, and has been exposed to be, a massive troll - his true intentions were never to look like Jimin or to look Korean, it's purely to cause controversy and get attention! the less we cover his story/talk about him the better because it's exactly what he profits off of! Amazing video :)
i'm actually a huge fan of ms. nakasone's choreography. it was so shocking to see harajuku girls on her wikipedia page, because it was awful to see someone i know to be super talented had that talent wasted as someone's prop.
I cant stress how obsessed I was with the perfumes as a kid but I didn’t twig on at the time that they had anything to do with a singer I just liked the bottles 😆
I have all the wicked style ones 😆 the bottles really are cute, they're all empty but I still have the dolls
Those perfumes always stood out to me whenever I was at my aunt's house, I always thought they were toys for adults and I didn't even know the blonde one was Gwen Stefani (who I'm a fan of her music now), I actually thought that was Alice from Alice in Wonderland omg!!
Right! I had the G one and I actually hated the scent, it smelled like sunscreen, but I loved the cute little figurine.
Her whole harajuku lyrics got me into harajuku, j-fashion, japanese culture, anime, manga, jpop, kpop and korean culture.
My mother and I are both Japanese, and have no problem with Gwen Stefani. In fact, we fucking adore her. And it’s not just us, a lot of Japanese people in japan thinks she’s awesome and cool too. Gwen Stefani respects our culture and she even donated 1 million dollars to us when the 2011 earthquake happened. When she said she was Japanese we fully accepted her in open arms cause she loves and respect us a lot. It’s mainly the Japanese American people who have a problem with her. I mean I am Japanese American but I loved her ever since I was a child because of how she loves my culture. I get that she has done a lot of wrong things to other cultures, but unlike what she has done to other cultures, she actually respects us and we love her❤
I'm white but grew up in Asia, its what I know best and the life I grew up in. To see someone like Gwen Stefani enjoy these things, yet ignore the culture behind it and focus just on the aesthetic is really so weird to me. If Gwen liked the fashion and also empowered Japanese people, there wouldn't be such a problem.
I mean the culture behind it is racist 🤷
This is incredibly fascinating and very informative. Honestly I thought the Stefani controversy was due to a misunderstanding, but I didn't know there was way more to it than that.
I find it weird when people like Stefani claim they identify with different cultures. I can't help but feel like saying things like that or trying to race bend yourself comes from deep rooted issues you have. Like, I'm very interested in Native American culture and appreciate it, but I would never say "Oh I'm indigenous UwU I was born the wrong race." I just don't get how you can be so unaware that thinking that way is inappropriate and strange.
Thank you for making this video, and especially for sharing more information about the LAMB dancers as individuals!! They *should* be known for who they are, not as Gwen's quirky little dolls.
I think the fact Gwen wanted to own the Harajuku name, make it copyrighted to her specifically, says it all. "Americans associate Harajuku with Gwen" is such a wild claim to make; that doesn't mean that she owns the name or has a right to copyright it, when it's a name of a real place, full of real people. That's some colonizer behavior. Has she ever actually worn any Japanese brand clothing? You know, actually supported the brands and fashion styles that arose from Harajuku? Because I don't think she has; seems like she just visited the place, fell in love with the subcultures and fashion, and instead of participating in it like a normal person, she decided it's all hers now.
It's a real shame to see her doubling down on this in the current year. So much time has passed since her weeaboo phase in the mid 2000s and instead of trying to understand the hurt she's caused and learn from it, she refuses to listen and says she's done nothing wrong. As someone who loves J-fashion and has worn lolita fashion specifically for nearly 2 decades, this really rubs me the wrong way.
She literally says she got some clothing called Super Lovers. It’s in the song Harajuku Girls. Which is what inspired the name Harajuku Lovers. It’s sad that Japanese can appropriate Latino culture with the cholos and cholas and lowriders but when gwen does it she’s a “colonizer”. These dancers are even appropriating hip hop culture and no one is saying anything. Make it make sense. Stop being so racist. And yes people can be racist against white people. And Gwen as a Italian American has similarities with the Hispanics. We both went through discrimination against the real white Supremest.
@@apollokain2542 Re: Gwen actually wearing brand clothes, that's fair, I didn't know that so I take that back.
Otherwise, sorry maybe you misunderstood what I said -- I meant that trying to claim the Harajuku name (and by extension, the fashion subcultures that are associated with it) for herself, is colonizer behavior. It's absolutely not racist to point that out.
She's allowed to wear the fashion and participate like everyone else, but trying to trademark it and acting like it's "her thing" is vile, and I stand by that.
@@Slithera I don’t think she’s trying to claim Harajuku as her own thing. The brand is called Harajuku Lovers, it’s meant to be a collaboration of her style mixed with the style that is popular in the Harajuku district. The harajuku style is a kawaii (cute) version of European style clothing which is another cultural exchange. The reason I say it’s racist is because it separates us from other people. There isn’t a culture in the world that doesn’t have roots from other places. The native Americans for example did that in exact same thing. The Aztecs would take over other villages, they would take what they had, mix it with their culture. They would take the people and either turn them to slaves or sacrifice them and they would even add their gods to their culture. It’s the same with Hello Kitty collaborating with American franchisees like Star Wars. Or the way Japanese took an American super here, Spider-Man and made him a Japanese super hero. And because of that they created the giant robot for him to fight in which was later used for the original Japanese power rangers which we then Americanized. Just like the song Harajuku Girls says , “a ping pong match between eastern and western, did you your inspiration in my latest collection”
@@apollokain2542 Did you not watch the video you're commenting on? It says very clearly that Gwen tried to legally trademark the name; not "Harajuku Lovers", her brand name, but "Harajuku" itself (26:07). Cultural exchange is a whole different topic and it applies to Japanese street fashion as well, you can very clearly see influences from outside of Japan in those fashion styles, and that's a wonderful thing! I'm not against that by any means.
The things Gwen have done though, from acting like she "discovered" Harajuku (she did not), to her treatment of her dancers, to now claiming that she's supposedly Japanese -- All of it is beyond the pale, and that's not the same as cultural exchange. She may not mean any harm, but it seems like she refuses to listen to people who point out the harm in her actions and instead doubles down on them.
I'll also point out, in case you missed this in the video as well: The actual Harajuku kids aren't very thrilled about Gwen's actions either (26:45)
@@Slithera yeah I did and I think the whole thing is bull s*t. She made the brand for the fans like merch. And so what if she wanted to brand the name harajuku. I think it’s dumb to think she could completely own the name for her brand but she’s a HUMAN. And why do y’all think she thinks she’s really Japanese. She didn’t mean that literally. It’s just a way of showing how she can relate to the culture. Which by the way has no real historic significance other than teens dressing up in outrages fashion. And I’m sure the kids are crying on the streets because some American artist is capitalizing on a brand that is inspired by a district in Japan. As for the dancers if they were treated so badly I’m sure they would’ve commented by know how Gwen forced them against their will to work for her. Once again I’m not complaining that there are Japanese who literally consider themselves cholos and cholas (same as her saying she’s Japanese) selling little homie figurines and making low riders and making music inspired but artist like SPM. I LOVE it because we’re all HUMAN. Cultural appropriation is literally racism because all cultures have roots from everywhere. It just looks different now because of social media. You can actually see cultures slowly crashing into each other.
I was listening to a 2000 playlist and some Stefani songs came up. I said to my husband "huh, she has a thing for Japan, right?" We thought it was so weird. I didn't know it was this problematic omg.
Same. I only listen to a few of her songs (both solo and No Doubt era) every now and then, and I used to read people's comments saying "this is the era where she kept harajuku girls as pets" and I thought they were joking/exaggerating until I watched this vid. Like, yeah they were getting paid and they all had a positive experience doing it, but still.
It isn't problematic. People just like to whine.
I don't really feel right coming into this comment section as a yt person and deciding whether this is appropriation or not. It doesn't look...good but I feel like whenever this comes up for any culture a bunch of people who are personally unaffected by this try to deem it okay or not okay and while we can talk about it I look at the comments that japanese people made about this throughout the video and they're saying they don't like it.
And I don't think it takes a genius to understand why trademarking harajuku is a bad thing. Harajuku isn't just a place and it sounds like Gwen isn't explaining why its significant in Japan very well.
omg non kpop fans don’t understand how ICONIC rino’s choreos are😭
this is amazing coverage on this topic and really opened my eyes to some things I wasn’t aware of when it comes to gwen’s actions. I cannot believe the whole trademark debacle, the audacity and unapologetic persistence it takes for her to claim to this day that she isn’t appropriating is really frustrating. your definition and explanation of cultural appropriation vs appreciation was both nuanced and easy to understand. I can’t thank you enough for this as a white American who has been interested and has partaken in much of Japanese pop culture for years now.
I think one thing should be discussed to the idea of multiculturalism which is the idea of fusions such as for example Gyaru is a multicultural subculture it comes from Japan but the ideas fashion and the subculture accumulate to different things I think with Stefani her issue is she tries so multicultural but as an identity within herself
I agree so so much! Couldn't have worded it better. As a white american woman who has been a part of the gyaru subculture for quite a while now I always get odd comments like "omg! I love gyaru too! It's so fun being japanese"....from other white people. The difference between being a part of a subculture and identifying with it isn't a thin line it's quite an obvious one actually so it's odd that people can't tell the difference.
日本人はこの件に関して一切気にしてない、むしろみんな喜んでる！日本を好きでいてくれてありがとう❤
I'm so glad I discovered your channel! I love harajuku fashion too. It's a style I've been embracing and trying to embrace most of my life.
This video took the words out of my mouth and I, too, also explained the difference between cultural appropriation and appreciation several times, knowing how cultural appropriation is not widely understood.
When those of us speak up against cultural appropriation, people keep taking our words out of context or even gaslight us and tell us we are wrong and "overreacting", thinking we're trying to say you shouldn't like different cultures when that's not what we're saying. This is not something black and white. Context matters. We're trying to explain the nuance and complexity.
I'm a fan of Gwen and when I discovered her "My God, I'm Japanese and I didn't know it"" comment, it definitely irked. Cultural appreciation is something that NEEDS to and SHOULD be encouraged. Cultural appropriation is the evil twin that people keep misconstruing as appreciation. I wanted Gwen to do better and take accountability but it looks like that's not gonna happen because she tried to trademark Harajuku when she didn't even pioneer it! That's a quintessential example of cultural appropriation right there. I know cultural appropriation when I see it. Reminds me of the time when Kim Kardashian tried to trademark the word "kimono" for her spandex underwear brand.
Critiquing is not hating! It frustrates me every time I critique something I love, people will assume I actually hate the subject I'm critiquing.
I'm also Asian, specifically Vietnamese though. I've seen my culture being appropriated several times in American pop culture, mostly people wearing ao dai without pants and when we Vietnamese speak out against it, a lot of non-Viets would gaslight us and defend whoever appropriated our culture. *cough cough* Kacey Musgraves (Lots of non-Viet ppl were so quick to defend her and she NEVER apologized for wearing an ao dai without any pants.)
It's so strange to me how often people conflate identifying with a fashion with identifying with an ethnicity. Like as an example, I am a Sanrio stan and collector. Do I pull inspiration from Sanrio and identify strongly with it by calling myself a Sanrio fan? Of course! But do I feel the need to identify myself as Japanese just because Sanrio comes from Japan? Hell no! Why on earth would that ever be a logical conclusion to make? And it's the exact same way with fashion. I enjoy and dress in kawaii fashion, so the thing that I identify with is simply being someone who enjoys kawaii fashion, not as someone who is Japanese. Anyone can participate in kawaii fashion regardless of their ethnic or cultural background. If you feel like you have to be Japanese to participate kawaii fashion, you are really just treating Japanese ethnicity as another accessory, which is just so so awful and reductive.
You took her statement literally. It's more of a feeling rather than truth. Also, it's a popular belief for Americans to think Japan is more Westernized when, in reality, Japan is more developed and modern now. Japan is still Japan. You can collect Sanrio and take part in Japanese culture; Hello Kitty is a Japanese pop culture.
@@muscleanimeguy Oh so now it's the viewers's fault that she didn't even word herself properly?, dude, even as a "feeling", that's still a wrong thing to think. You can like Harujuku fashion, hell, you can participate in it with absolutely no issues and will receive only support from those in the community, but that's the *subculture* itself, something that's meant to be shared. But trying to identify yourself as a different ethnicity for the sake of...what exactly?, looking exactly like those who created the subculture? (wich again, would mean that you consider the ethnicity more of an accessory, like op said)🧍🏻♀️
@@muscleanimeguy I understand that she didn’t mean it literally, but it is still a very disrespectful and ignorant thing to say, even if it is just a feeling. Also I don’t know where I implied that Japan isn’t modernized. I’m saying that collecting Sanrio is perfectly acceptable, and anyone can partake in it. The problem arises when someone extends that into wanting to butt their way into being part of an ethnicity that they are not because of it.
@Annier Technically speaking, people are partly to blame. I blame media or Allure Maganize for misleading people.
"I desperately wanted that little perfume bottle on my dresser because it made me feel seen in a way that I never did in fashion or beauty or really any mainstream media or marketing. I honestly didn't question, or even really register, that the woman behind this Asian representation was white."
The interviewer is self-absorbed, projecting Gwen Stefani as this white woman who is only taking advantage of Japanese/Japanese American women.
Intellectualizing Gwen's whiteness to further divide us.
Elvis Presley received both praise and backlash for his impact in music and culture. He wore zoot suits (worn by minorities' group and racistly seen as intimidating/gang affiliated by high class white Americans) and was influenced by the music and dance of Black Americans. He is titled "King of Rock and Roll,"-not because he pioneered it, not because he popularized it, not because he was the first white man to do it-because he made rock n roll acceptable to white folks. He is just one king among kings. The word "stole" is incorrect when Black American culture was actually embraced, not stolen.
Culture is meant to be shared.
MARINA is a Welsh singer and songwriter who made an American theme music video, Hollywood. Nobody, I mean no Americans cared about the American accessories, props, or whatever. I am not White, but I am American, and I love Marina for her obsession with America, but she also criticizes the misconceptions about America.
Gwen Stefani has dyslexia. I just want to talk about my own personal experience for a moment when Gwen made the statement "I'm Japanese," whether that is fabricated or not. I said to a black woman, "I'm black," even though I'm not. I am related to black families, but yes, that does not mean I'm black. I said what I said because I have shared their culture. So when Gwen calls herself Japanese, she finds Japanese culture sentimental. It's totally wrong to say, I think, but I also feel that people don't need to be black to speak like them. I've been accused as a child of acting black, but I learned through my relatives. Look at Ariana Grande, who gets called out for sounding and looking black. People tend to act by who they are raised, look up to, and hang with. Gwen Stefani did not mean she is Japanese literally. She expressed herself: "The music, the way the girls wore their makeup, the clothes they wore, that was my identity," she said. "Even though I'm an Italian American - Irish or whatever mutt that I am - that's who I became because those were my people, right?" Gwen Stefani isn't pretending to be Japanese nor is she claiming her ethnicity to be Japanese. She is obsessed with their culture: music, makeup, and clothes. She identifies with the Harajuku girls, Japanese girls with wicked fashion. What she said may have been misconceive, but I feel there is no need for her to explain herself when she made it clear that she loves Japanese culture, or the subculture of Harajuku fashion. Even with her dylesxia, Gwen is a capable and an empathic human being.
"If we didn't buy and sell and trade our cultures in, we wouldn't have so much beauty, you know? We learn from each other, we share from each other, we grow from each other. And all these rules are just dividing us more and more."
-Gwen Stefani
@Emma Jauernig I added that statement about how Americans have this wild belief that Japan is Westernized because people here are prideful, I think. Modernization isn't the main point. The main point is that Westernization does not equal modernization. I feel people here are condescending to Japanese and other nationalities in general. I really haven't seen Americans getting hurt about other countries accessorizing American culture.
I wouldn't find it offensive if a Japanese citizen expresses oneself with "Oh my God. I am American. I really am, you know?" because it's one way of embracing a different culture. And guess what? America wouldn't care. They only care to patronize other minorities and shame White people. Other countries are obsessed with and fantasies about America. Perhaps they wish to identify as American, but no, that does not mean they are proclaiming to be white, black, or a different color.
Race: characteristics of one's hair color, eye color, skin color.
Ethnicity: one's ancestory and culture.
It bugs me that biological gender is shallow, yet biological ethnicity should remain as is.
I, personally, don't see myself as nonbinary. I'm he/him. I believe fashion can be interchangeable. There are people who don't see themselves as their assigned gender or the other gender. But I feel that it's society rules to separate male from females, what makes you a guy, or what makes you a woman that alienates people. Nonbinary people don't need to look androgynous to be nonbinary, just like you don't need to look a certain way for your ethnicity. That's race.
When you're in Japan, you have to adopt their culture. You can't just walk around with shoes in a house or be loud in public. You have to be both American and Japanese. There are people who become disconnected with their biological ethnicity that their nationality then becomes their culture.
Both gender and ethnicity are social constructs.
This was so well done! Loved your definitions ans explanation of cultural appreciation vs appropriation
Personally, I don’t think that wearing clothes from other cultures and taking inspiration from them is appropriation, and is not a bad thing at all. What is wrong is that she legitimately said that she should have been Japanese.
I really liked this video, and your outfit today is so nice!!
Thank you so much!! 💖
her japanese entourage reminds me of how (i think) lady gaga had kpop group "crayon pop" follow her around as her entourage for a while
@ᧁ͓̽᥊͓̽ƽ͓̽ꫝ͓̽♥️ზ͓̽᥊͓̽ñ͓̽ñ͓̽į͓̽ ok lol well they exist
Oh my gosh I remember Crayon Pop!! The Bar Bar Bar dance trended on tik tok for a little bit, I want to try it with a group of friends one day 😊💖
I think they were an opening act for her concerts not an entourage
@@cybrgrl this bitch did not just say ‘it trended on tiktok’ girl that song came out way before tiktok existed
@@twistedbliss58 haha yes i am aware that it came out a long time ago (i've personally been listening to k-pop casually since around the time that the wonder girls were really popular worldwide like when "nobody" was released), i'm just saying that it trended on tik tok recently which is cool to see that young people are still into the song because it's definitely a classic
I'm sorry, but I've seen so many people that are Japanese not even care. people that aren't Japanese are deciding whether it's appropriation or not when it's not for them to decide. most Japanese people have even said "She obviously loves our culture and that's nice to see" Im neutral since I don't wanna speak over others who have more valid opinions, I feel the main people speaking on it should be thr people who are affected by it
Yes exactly, my mother and I are Japanese and we have no problem with her and we both love her
I remember seing all of the harajuku girls merch as a child and wanting to buy it because it was super cute. I didn't realize until now that it was of the Harajuku girls themselves.
Same here
the perfume and merchandise was definitely my first introduction to harajuku, totally forgot about it's influence... my mom wanted me to like it and wear the clothes so bad, she liked gwen and she's Filipino so I guess the fact that they were asian was cool
10:18-10:50
bookmarked because some people need to hear that one again.
choregraphing for kpop groups is a big deal in my opinion! i love NCT, and their choreo is amazing
ikr im doing hw while watching this so i didnt pay attention as much but when i heard shinee i stopped doing my work lol
yes! she made some of red velvet's best choreos and has an incredible careerit's crazy she was a "doll" for gwen stefani aesthetic.
I have compassion for her given her history, especially when she talks about an example set for her as a young girl when she saw japanese people liking American things. She also seems to view them as her friends and really wanted to be a part of it. (even if it meant by force?) However, her delivery in what she did was so out of touch and insensitive in so many ways I wouldn't argue that it was appropriation. I was idk, barely middle school age when 'harajuku girls' was a part of her branding and I enjoyed it for many years after. But bringing it up to my attention several years after that as a now 28 year old adult is really making me question it. I don't think she ever had any malintent, but she's definitely done a lot of unacceptable things with this.
It comes off to me like someone who can’t get access to something they want naturally so they buy their way in and pretend they got it authentically.
So her excuse for appropriating another culture was because she really liked it? I got one of her newer lamb perfumes because I enjoyed the album when I was little, not realizing she had done all of this. Looks like I'm tossing it out 💀
Also thank you for educating me on this, I'm so disappointed seeing artists I used to like turning out to be horrible people. It's not that hard to not be bigoted!!
@1t5n4tur4l Yeah, especially considering how the other team didn't want to play in the first place.
She’s not necessarily a horrible person though keep that in mind! :D
@@alliexcx5576 ion know, racism sounds pretty bad to me.
@@jubileehoney3269 I know it's not my place to say if it's racism or not, I just wanna say that at the time it was normalized and people didn't have the information we have today, she literally was thinking she was doing something good showing Harajuku fashion and culture to America
@@finnrogue9435 Racism and cultural appropriation has never been truly normal, I remember people saying that they were shocked at it, even in those times. I mean even if it was, to this day she still will die on the hill of thinking what she did was completely okay. Even at Japanese people telling her what she did was wrong, she's shown she does not care.
Great job as always!! Waiting for harajuku asmr vid🤞💚
I love all of the info on the backup dancers - I love how their careers branched off and up into greater things 💕
Thank you so much for those research efforts!
I had the Angel perfume when it first came out and a simple black Harajuku Lovers tote has been one of my longest lasting bags…
That said, if Gwen was wiser with her words can could express (and demonstrate) a sense of appreciation more than appropriation, it would be easier to support her. She has an entire PR team to craft this appropriately but it doesn’t happen, so I can’t support her words, as much as I have loved her music and fashion, I will always acknowledge how problematic the approach and representation has been.
(Also - KILLER POINT: if she loves fashion and everything so much, why hasn’t she opened a store in japan???)
I think she just found her people, she found a place she felt comfortable in... Back then these things weren't a thing so she appreciated the culture...
Ugh the whole trademark thing is really disgusting. I have never liked Gwen.
The fact the harajuku girls were American and spoke English is crazy they were definitely caricatures
Except 2 of them are Japanese
I'm 10 minutes late but I love you and I've been waiting for you to cover this for a while! Yayyyyy🥰✨️
Thank you so much for introducing Rino Nakasone to me! Her choreography is beyond iconic and I would never have guessed she was a former "harajuku girl" for Gwen.
I think this is a very big topic when in general "Asian Conflicts" come up. Japan and Korea are both very liked East-Asian countries for their "aesthetic". A lot of times they will also be fetishized and faked. Because of that, multiple things from other Asian countries like Thailand, china, or even Russia that are likable and cute can get called Japanese or Korean. It's really sad to me to see conflicts between some Asian countries too because all of their cultures are very diverse and beautiful. It's really cool looking into the countries and how they impact and influence one another. I hate when some people who aren't Asian think their opinion on it is right when a lot of times they're uneducated. That is why I like videos like these, they educate people.
Thank you so much for this vid!! I remember being young and wanting to be just like the LAMB girls. There's so much nuance when it comes to the personal experiences of the dancers/actors. It's wild that Gwen still can't see how much it looks like she used them as human furniture ☠️
thank you so much for taking the time to do all of this research and create this video!
Wow I had no idea Rino was a harajuku girl! I know her through NCT but years ago I remember seeing Gwens MVs with them in I’m glad she’s doing so well now!
I was first introduced to the concept of Harajuku fashion when my granny got me to listen to the Gwen Stefani song, which made me curious enough to google what Harajuku fashion was. I also happened to attend a high school with a lot of East Asian and South East Asian students, and while we all had to wear uniforms, kawaii culture would peak through in the hair accessories, stationary, and of course, pop culture, so every now and then I would get curious enough to Google Harajuku fashion again, and it would stick in my mind each time until I actually started wearing it in my final year of high school (not TO high school, though I did wear decora for an assignment and lolita fashion for my school formal).
Honestly, had I grown up in a less culturally diverse community, my weeaboo phase might've been even worse. I had friends who were Chinese, Taiwanese, Malaysian, and especially Vietnamese, but I only knew one person at my school who was Japanese. While we were friends for a bit, I think my microaggressions and fetishisation of Japanese culture eventually made her fed up with me, and honestly? Fair enough. Even with over 100 cultures represented at my school, being a weeaboo was still common, and racism still happened. Though I tried not to be, I was still a part of the problem. I can only learn from my mistakes and do better.
Anyways, I just want to say thank-you for this video. It's taught me some things that I hope to carry with me, and I think since I still dress in a way that's Harajuku-inspired on my channel but now make content in a separate niche, I should think about how I can be more mindful about giving credit to Harajuku. With people coming to me for fanfic writing advice rather than fashion content, the "my style is from Harajuku, Japan" part isn't pre-existing context that I can expect anyone who watches my channel to already know.
Just hopped over here from Tiktok, glad to see your content works in longer form media too!
Re: the actual topic in the video, it feels like the Harajuku girls didnt really have any identity which is where a lot of uncomfiness comes from for me. While I'm white and Cisco and was in late elementary school when this all happened and I kind of saw it, I feel like even then something felt uncanny about having these girls kind of just hovering around Gwen
Im really happy for this video because of a lot of questions were in my head when I watched her music videos recently and listened to her music
I love this video. Your opening statement about criticizing what we love is very good and your explanation about Gwen is very informative. Thank you so much!
Thanks for the video, so informative!
This is the first video of yours that I'm seeing and I'm so happy to have found your channel. You are so refreshingly well researched and well spoken. I loved every minute of this. Keep up the good work. I was truly educated
This video was extremely thoughtful, educational, and informative. thank you so much for the time and research you put into making it
I think we really need to normalize accepting that ppl can inform us of how we are impacting them, without taking offense and defending ourselves. Normalize accepting a criticism, apologize for any misunderstanding, and learning from it. It's ok to be wrong... even if you didn't mean to be. I constantly learn new things from my friends of other races. When someone explains their point of view, I see sides of a situation I never even considered. I want them to feel the love, appreciation, and respect I have for them, so if I have made them feel any other way, I want to be pulled up on that. I also want them to feel safe to share that with me, and they won't if I constantly tell them they are wrong. I can't truly understand experiences first hand, but I can listen, empathize, and take suggestions. This is how you should treat everyone on everything anyway. Racial issues are no different.
Now do One about Avril Lavigne and that “Hello Kitty” song.
I was a HUGE fan back in the 90's when I was in grade school cause she repped the Cali girls then in High School she was in her Jamacain/Raggae phase and that turned me off because I felt she was using that culture to keep making music to stay famous and rich.
Thanks so much for covering this!!💜🤝
I absolutely LOVE Japanese culture ever since I was a child, but I never said I should have been Japanese nor do I copy to be Japanese. I find the culture so beautiful and fascinating and I love to learn all of the history of Japan and the Japanese people. I do have a ton of Japanese items that I have bought over the years to decorate my home and show off just how amazing Japanese culture is.
That's the difference between appreciation vs appropriation. I would wear cherry blossom shirts, practice Japanese calligraphy, and just continue to be myself growing up. As much as I love authentic Kimonos, I would never wear one, because I know just how important Kimonos are to the culture. Something that can't be said for Gwen..😬🤦♀️🤷♀️
4:00 I remember them from Sweet Escape!!! Loved those actors so much 5:33 I'm glad you showed us her Instagram, I love her already!
Wow, I had no idea that a woman choreographed all of SHINee's iconic songs. Good for her! That's an infinitely bigger accomplishment than working with Stephanie tbh.
I used to love wearing those bindis on my head when I was in HS (2003-2006)... Honestly I feel like a huge asshole when I look back at it. There was an Indian guy in my class and I'm so embarrassed that he saw me wearing those like there were fun stickers 😭
The girls in my year in our school were made to wear bindi when I was 7, but it wasn't a proper wedding bindi; it was the kids one. I can't figure if it was wrong or not, because it was when we were learning about India for a week and trying to participate. If the difference is intention, then it's definitely appreciation, but I think that when looking at it blindly, it looks like appropriation.
Thank you for such a thoughtful and well-researched video!! I always learn a lot from your videos, even when I think I know about a topic already. I've felt pretty gross about Gwen and her appropriation since her bindi days in the '90s. It seems like she has learned nothing over the last nearly 30 years...
I loved her song Harajuku girls and that whole album, I’m so disappointed and I really liked her music 🙁
Great video! I really feel like I have a better understanding of appropriation vs appreciation 😊
Thanks for making this video. I really loved Gwens style when she was Harajuku style. I have been into Anime and Harajuku all my life and always will be Forever. Gwen really inspired me to finish design school and I graduated. Gwen is awesome. I have nothing but respect for her. I just wish her love and style for Harajuku was constant, she changed her styles around alot like she was confused. ?. ...its more than just liking harajuku style its living it for life. Its not a fashion for me but a style that never ends. A everyday lifestyle. I am into dressing Lolita Harajuku style. I live like a doll forever with real pink hair forever. I can never change my style, its me, who I am for life. I love Japanese culture. 🍭 🧁🍓 🌺🍬 None the less, While it lasted, Gwen's temporary time of Harajuku was awesome and I miss that era or her music and career. I am not a fan of rap though and wish she could of incorporated more kawaii type music but in closing Gwens ok. I just wish it wasnt a passing faze for her but a lifetime style.
Ps. Love your decora kei style... I'm into lolita harajuku style. I love it all though. Harajuku Forever 🍭
Growing up w/ Kuu Kuu Harajuku was quite a part of my childhood but it was until just later on in my life that I learnt more about appropriation
I don't really know who Gwen Stefani is, aside from the Hollerback girl song, didn't even know she made songs about the Harajuku girls. I did really love the perfume as a kid though. Mostly, I liked the dolls that came with them and wanted to collect those. My mother actually bought me the Wicked Style Love perfume back in the day. It was my favourite scent, and still is, along with Black Opium (I need to get my hands on some of that, but so expensive!) I really loved the cute sweet lolita dress and the velvety hair. I still have the bottle and doll too, with just a tiny bit of the perfume left. I also have a G one as a superhero, but I hate the design and the scent is super stinky, so it's still in it's box locked away somewhere in my flat.
As a half white, half Korean girl who loves Harajuku fashion and is studying Japanese I can relate to a lot of points in this video. I thought Gwen's comment of being Japanese was weird but not a big deal but as this video went on it just got worse. I find the idea that we can be bullied due to our race/culture but as soon as (most of the time) white people make it a trend its all of the sudden cool. I also found the race and ethnicity changing absolutely disgusting. I grew up being too white for the Korean community and too "exotic" or asian for the white community (I grew up typical American eating a lot of asian food but lacked knowledge in Korean language and culture) This made me grow up wanting to be white but now that I'm older I'm trying to appreciate and learn about my own and other asian cultures more. It crazy to think that in the ways I and others felt different or were judged for (like asian food, culture, languages, looks, etc) all of the sudden became trendy and desierable. It was a shock to me the first time I saw asian culture trends and it still makes me sort of uncomfortable. Reaping only the benefits of one culture is cowardly and people need to understand that they will never truly be a different race/ethinicity. If someone truly wants to be accepted in another community they need dedication, knowledge, a good heart, and respect for their own culture.
This was well done. You avoided some of the pitfalls of talking about CA very adroitly.
This video is so amazing!
Remember when she made that cartoon about her and her "harajuku girls"? It was basically just white washed japan with little to no understanding about harajuku or j fashion in general 😑
Ty for all your hard work on this!!!!!!!!!!!
i remember seeing episodes and merch of kuukuu harajuku when it came out not knowing gwen steffani made it (or even who she was at the time actually) so this was interesting to find out
I have Loved Gwen for A Looong time growingUp! However for sometime I Myself had been lookingBack at music videos I Love of Hers &wondering if they were Appropriating Cultures.
Loved Your insight; & I gave You a Like right@ the Beginning B'Cos although I'll Love Gwen's music 4Ever, I would appreciate to look at all This withMore Sensitivity, Learn and Grow from this!
Thank You for Making this Video 🤘🏻💜
I get really annoyed how with this whole debacle, all the different fashion subcultures are just lumped together as "harajuku fashion." J-Fashion isn't a single fashion subculture, it's an umbrella term used to describe a vast array of Japanese alternative fashion, including but not limited to lolita, fairy kei, decora, gyaru, pastel goth, and visual kei. Gwen Stefani has never used any of those terms (pastel goth can be excused because that style didn't emerge until after the Harajuku Girls era) and she doesn't seem to have any idea that "harajuku fashion" isn't actually a fashion unto itself. She basically slaps the label onto anything that looks "qUirKy" enough. As someone who wears lolita and is working on building a fairy kei wardrobe, it annoys me to no end.
I really appreciate your video on this. You handled the subject with a lot of grace and respect for everyone. I was a big Gwen fan in middle and highschool and you helped me see a lot of her problematic behavior but also how to not beat myself up for my fanship.
I love her from No Doubt and I remember first discovering who she was from her Harajuku series
Honestly insane how someone who could dance next to koda kumi, boa, and namie amuro was made into a silent plaything for a white american singer. Like those three are LEGENDS.
Except there was no contract saying they had to be silent. There are videos of them speaking and having a good time with Gwen and others during this era. Maybe you shouldn't just blindly believe bs articles and take 5 minutes to actually do some research as these videos and postings are readily available.
like when i saw their accomplishments and who they worked with i was surprised ! why are you standing behind a 5 hit wonder singer with all of those things on your resume ?
But nobody is talking about how they were appropriating black hairstyles?
this is such a good video!!
I really suggest everyone listen to her title track Harajuku Girls. Listen to the lyrics closely, and you’ll see her appreciation to the Japanese fashion culture. If it wasn’t for Gwen, I would have not known about Harajuku fashion, and would have not taken an interest.
Watched a video talking about how japanese people on twitter themself reacted to an article about the whole situation. Majority were fine, some even expressed happiness in seeing a foreigner showing love for their culture. But then again - they live in Japan, surrounded by japanese culture, so for them some pop singer from another country taking liking in their fashion is something they will forget about a week later. Not like it will influence their culture in any way 😬
I have never seen you before, you are so cool and adorable! I adore your style. thoroughly enjoyed this video! ^_^
Ooh this is gonna be juicy
if she really liked harajuku fashion she wouldn't dress like a random celebrity
yeah I noticed that she infantilized the harajuku girls and treated them like children that had no autonomy and no voice. I like some of her music but gwen's creepy
My heart was ripped to shreds when No Doubt broke up and Gwen went solo. Every single album they did before 2005 is AMAZING. I was obsessed with the band and her. Tragic Kingdom was one of my first CDs 😂 God I’m so old 😭
Anyway, I can’t stand her solo shit. They should have never broken up, I truly feel like she sold out when they went on hiatus.
Anyway, awesome video!
Wow, my respect for you has just gone up another level. You've done some excellent research for this video. I'm gonna follow up on those links. Thanks for posting this.
I got two of the perfumes from my older sister who didn’t want them anymore (I used the toppers as dolls) and when I asked my mom who they were she said “Harajuku girls, they’re Gwen stefani’s backup dancers” and I thought it was weird that they were all Japanese like Gwen had made that choice artistically(?) but it felt like they were dolls instead of people. I thought maybe being from Harajuku made them cool? Like that’s how they were backup dances for her cause they were that cool. I still thought it was pretty weird tho even as a kid like they were some novelty or accessory just because they were from harajuku
i like some of gwens music, but god she has done so much cultural appropriation its scary, i appreciate japanese culture as a latino guy, but what she did wasn't that.
off topic but were did you get your hat???its so cute