Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Gwen Stefani Sparks Backlash After Saying 'I'm Japanese' To Defend Past Cultural Appropriation In Bizarre Interview

Gwen Stefani
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

The No Doubt singer made the incendiary comments while defending her controversial past of appropriating Japanese culture.

Gwen Stefani's recent interview with Allure sparked immediate backlash amongst readers.

Many of the singer's past projects—like her fashion line L.A.M.B. and her Harajuku era and subsequent fragrance line—have been seen as controversial and have been the topic of many discussions surrounding cultural appropriation.


Her attempt to address the backlash did not help her case.

Stefani - who was born and raised in California - said that her father, who is Italian, traveled between America and Japan for his job with Yamaha. Eventually, the singer was able to travel to Harajuku herself.

And then the No Doubt frontwoman bizarrely shared:

"I said, 'My God, I'm Japanese and I didn't know it.' I am, you know."
"If [people are] going to criticize me for being a fan of something beautiful and sharing that, then I just think that doesn't feel right."
"I think it was a beautiful time of creativity... a time of the ping-pong match between Harajuku culture and American culture."

Stefani continued that she is "a little bit of an Orange Country girl, a little bit of a Japanese girl, a little bit of an English girl."

"The music, the way the girls wore their makeup, the clothes they wore, that was my identity."
"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?"

The response on Twitter was a resounding, "She said what now?"






The Allure interview included a note from the writer that stated:

"A representative for Stefani reached out the next day, indicating that I had misunderstood what Stefani was trying to convey."
"'Allure' later asked Stefani's team for an on-the-record comment or clarification of these remarks and they declined to provide a statement or participate in a follow-up interview."

Here's hoping it was all just a big misunderstanding.

More from Trending

Donald Trump
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Trump Blasted For Announcing New Additions To The White House Lawn As Global Tensions Escalate

President Donald Trump was criticized after announcing that two new flagpoles would be added to the North and South Lawns of the White House—not the greatest look amid heightened global unease as tensions between Israel and Iran ramp up.

According to the Associated Press, Trump watched as a crane installed the newest flagpole on the South Lawn, remarking, “It’s such a beautiful pole.” He later returned to the site to salute as the American flag was raised for the first time.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Donald Trump from CNN supercut
CNN

Trump Mocked For 'Two Weeks' Iran Deadline With Supercut Of All His 'Two Weeks' Promises

President Donald Trump has a history of promising to resolve problems within "two weeks," and a new viral supercut mocks him for all the times he's said as much—including right now with tensions in the Middle East higher than ever.

Trump said Thursday he will decide within two weeks whether to involve U.S. forces directly in the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, citing what he called a “substantial chance” for renewed nuclear negotiations with Tehran.

Keep ReadingShow less
red flag with pole on seashore
Seoyeon Choi on Unsplash

People Break Down The 'Silent Red Flags' Folks Tend To Ignore In Relationships

A red flag has come to mean any warning sign in life, in addition to the literal red flags that are placed on beaches or industrial sites to warn people of danger.

People will respond to situations by saying, "That’s a red flag." But before that language evolved, they'd just call them "warning signs."

Keep ReadingShow less
Ted Cruz; Tucker Carlson
The Tucker Carlson Show

Tucker Carlson And Ted Cruz Get Into Shouting Match Over Iran In Bonkers Interview Clip

Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz—a harsh Donald Trump critic-turned-MAGA minion—sat down with fired Fox News personality Tucker Carlson for the conservative influencer's self-produced online content,The Tucker Carlson Show, for the Tucker Carlson Network.

On Tuesday, Carlson shared a 1.5-minute clip revealing that things got contentious when the pair touched on the Trump administration's escalating tensions with Iran.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump; Barack Obama
Suzanne Plunkett-Pool/Getty Images; Scott Olson/Getty Images

Resurfaced Trump Tweet Criticizing Obama Over Iran Comes Back To Bite Him

Amid tensions with Iran, President Donald Trump was criticized for hypocrisy after social media users resurfaced a 2013 tweet in which he accused former President Barack Obama of planning an attack on Iran because of his "inability to negotiate properly."

Trump has declined to clarify whether the U.S. is edging closer to launching strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, following a warning from Iran’s supreme leader against any attack and a rejection of Trump’s demand for surrender.

Keep ReadingShow less