Ska-era Stefani with platinum blonde hair, a bikini top, and cargo pants.
And Harajuku Stefani, who we’ll get to in a minute.
GXVE isnt Stefanis first beauty brand, though.
Getty / Channing Smith
Before that, there was Harajuku Lovers.
Magazines (Allureincluded) covered them extensively.
Then, as an adult, she was able to travel to Harajuku to see them herself.
GXVE Beauty lipsticks
“I said, ‘My God, I’m Japanese and I didn’t know it.'”
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’s debut Harajuku Lovers fragrance collection
Like Stefani, I am not Japanese.
Surely, she didnt mean it literally or she didnt know what she was saying?
I dont believe Stefani was trying to be malicious or hurtful in making these statements.
I wanted to better understand why.
In terms of commodification, Stefani has certainly made a lot of money tapping into other cultures for inspiration.
“A hit is what makes me tick.
The more people I reach, the better.”
And she has reached an enormous amount of people.
“They can put on those bits of culture sort of like a costume.”
And that can lead to a diluted perception of the minority group, Nguyen explains.
“And then to see people paint us simplistically, that feels really painful.”
And that pain is even greater when Asian Americans are also fighting just to feel safe in their communities.
(Her representatives did not respond toAllures inquiries on this point.)
