Gwen Stefani is no stranger to being accused of cultural appropriation. In 2019, Stefani was accused of appropriation when people reexamined the images of Japanese Harajuku girls that recurred throughout Stefani’s career. Stefani defended her decision.
via: Page Six
Gwen Stefani’s appearance in Sean Paul’s new “Light My Fire” music video has landed her in hot water.
In the clip, the No Doubt frontwoman wears dreadlocks and a dress in the colors of the Jamaican flag, which swiftly sparked accusations of cultural appropriation on social media.
“no one can appropriate a culture the way gwen stefani does?,” one person tweeted, sharing images of Stefani sporting cornrows, henna and more in past videos.
“Ahhhh Gwen Stefani went back to her Jamaican roots. Nature is really healing,” another critic joked.
Some folks called out her traditionally black hairstyle specifically, with one tweeting, “Gwen Stefani even has ~dread~ like twists in that video. I am proper screaming. She has seen all the tweets saying her cultural appropriation era is missed and she said BET.”
Gwen Stefani even has ~dread~ like twists in that video. I am proper screaming. She has seen all the tweets saying her cultural appropriation era is missed and she said BET.
— Troublemaker of Zion – W N C (@PreciousGNSD) July 15, 2022
Another quipped, “As a south Asian who grew up in the 90s, I feel her current appropriation is cheating on us. How could you, Gwen? I thought that bindi was forever.”
Ahhhh Gwen Stefani went back to her Jamaican roots. Nature is really healing.
— 777 (@luckyleffty) July 14, 2022
The singer’s fans fought back in the comments, with one writing, “She doesn’t appropriate it. She appreciates it and she does it respectfully. She started in a ska band which is a type of reggae. She has always shown love to race and culture. Some people just do it for the profit. She’s doing it cuz she loves it.”
This isn’t the ska singer’s first cultural appropriation callout. When No Doubt first came to fame in the ’90s, she was dating Indian bandmate Tony Kanal, and often wore a bindi.
no one can appropriate a culture the way gwen stefani does? pic.twitter.com/Afvyz7j92u
— ????????? (@trevorhacker) July 14, 2022
And in the early aughts, the “Don’t Speak” songstress performed with a group of Japanese dancers called the “Harajuku Girls” while promoting her first solo album, “Love Angel Music Baby.”
In 2019, the “Hollaback Girl” hitmaker responded to the “Harajuku Girls”-era backlash in a Billboard interview.
“I get a little defensive when people [call it culture appropriation], because if we didn’t allow each other to share our cultures, what would we be?” she asked. “You take pride in your culture and have traditions, and then you share them for new things to be created.”
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