Thursday, April 28, 2005

Gwenihana & Harajuku Girls



The first time I heard the name Gwen Stefani was in 1996. A fellow classmate in University told me that her term paper topic for English Literature class was about Gwen Stefani of the band, No Doubt. She said one particular song titled “I am just a girl” really inspired her and has made her feel empowered.

Almost ten years has passed by, I wonder whatever happened to Ms. Stefani that bleached blonde dyslexic girl from Anaheim, California?

Recently I have received several emails from readers about Gwen Stefani; one of them was an article by MiHi Anh titled “Gwenihana” posted in Salon.com. The article was indeed interesting about how Ms. Stefani has been blindly adapting pseudo-Japanese culture into her fashion and life style. One particular oddity was the “Harajuku Girls”:

Stefani, the platinum-blond No Doubt front woman with the undulating midriff, recently released her first solo album, "Love, Angel, Music, Baby," a riotous jumble of everything from '80s bubble-gum pop to hip-hop to "Fiddler on the Roof" gone mad on a pirate ship. And tying all these influences together in one baffling mélange of semiotic ambiguity is her ever-present entourage: Four Harajuku girls, or rather, Stefani's interpretation of Tokyo street fashion in the Harajuku district.

They shadow her wherever she goes. They're on the cover of the album, they appear behind her on the red carpet, and she even dedicates a track, "Harajuku Girls," to them. In interviews, they silently vogue in the background like living props; she, meanwhile, likes to pretend that they're not real but only a figment of her imagination. They're ever present in her videos and performances -- swabbing the deck aboard the pirate ship, squatting gangsta style in a high school gym while pumping their butts up and down, simpering behind fluttering hands or bowing to Stefani. That's right, bowing. Not even from the waist, but on the ground in a "we're not worthy, we're not worthy" pose. She's taken Tokyo hipsters, sucked them dry of all their street cred, and turned them into China dolls.

Real Harajuku girls are just the funky dressers who hang out in the Japanese shopping district of Harajuku. To the uninitiated, Harajuku style can look like what might happen if a 5-year-old girl jacked up on liquor and goofballs decided to become a stylist. Layering is important, as is the mix of seemingly disparate styles and colors. Vintage couture can be mixed with traditional Japanese costumes, thrift-store classics, Lolita-esque flourishes and cyber-punk accessories. In a culture where the dreaded "salary man/woman" office worker is a fate to be avoided for this never-wanna-grow-up generation, Harajuku style can look as radical as punk rockers first looked on London's King Road or how pale-faced Goths silently sweating in their widows weeds look in cheerful sunny suburbs.

Stefani has taken the idea of Japanese street fashion and turned these women into modern-day geisha, contractually obligated to speak only Japanese in public, even though it's rumored they're just plain old Americans and their English is just fine. She's even named them "Love," "Angel," "Music" and "Baby" after her album and new clothing line l.a.m.b. (perhaps a mutton-themed restaurant will follow). The renaming of four adults led one poster on a message board to muse, "I didn't think it was legal to own human pets. But I guess so if you have the money for it."

Stefani fawns over Harajuku style in her lyrics, but her appropriation of this subculture makes about as much sense as the Gap selling Anarchy T-shirts; she's swallowed a subversive youth culture in Japan and barfed up another image of submissive giggling Asian women. While aping a style that's suppose to be about individuality and personal expression, Stefani ends up being the only one who stands out.

It's not only Stefani whose big kiss to the East ends up feeling more like a big Pacific Rim job. Author Peter Carey's own recent foray into Japanophila, the book "Wrong About Japan," was a semi-autobiographical account of one clueless father's attempt to bond with his son over manga on a trip to Japan, and his futile attempts to understand Japanese culture through a Western filter. Why devote an entire book to being "Wrong About Japan," when you can just send out a one-page fax that reads, "They Are Inscrutable." Even some of the movies that consciously play with Japanese stereotypes can seem puerile no matter how fast the postmodern hipster spin, whether it's Lucy Liu's blood-lusting geisha in "Kill Bill," or Devon Aoki's killer Miho in the new "Sin City," who slays a multitude but is never allowed to utter a single word.




One reader Chris has emailed me about this phenomenon:

"The point is, Ms. Stefani has started using Asian culture as a way to make money. Specifically, as I understand, Japanese Harajuku style clothing in her upcoming clothing line.

http://gwenihana.blogspot.com/ is a site you can go to learn more about the situation if you're interested. Story has it she pays her little entourage of "Japanese" girls (who are probably Americans) to walk with her everywhere she goes and only speak Japanese and exude a trendy hip-hop styled geisha aura. I have a screen shot from her aforementioned music video in which there are Asian characters on a basketball court floor, and a little ad Gwen did for her clothing line. But anyway, this is a more recent appearance of eastern language in western pop-culture."

I have also asked my friends in Japan about what they thought about Ms. Stefani and her new-found Japanese-fetish, and Rex from Tokyo replies:

“I've never seen anybody in Harajuku that dresses like that and I go by and through all the time. It's just another gimmick. The knee pads thing is a bit weird.

In her lyrics she mentions the underground malls in the world of Harajuku. How ignorant can she be? Shinjuku has underground malls. So does Ginza. But not Harajuku.

But then she just wants to create a fantasy world in her own mind. Like I said, if it works for her, more power to her.”

Aaron emailed with the following:

“The fact that they are only allowed to speak Japanese in public is what pisses me off the most. Japanese is not a "cool" language. It's not a game. It's not a parlor trick. It's a language. It's a language with a long and convoluted and interesting history (much like that of English). It is a language that people speak to do business, learn things, and talk to their loved ones. It is a TOOL; it is a CULTURE. It is NOT some quaint little habit of yellow people with crazy costumes. So you know what? Screw Gwen Stefani. I'd say she should know better, but since she's essentially illiterate, I guess that is simply asking too much.”

However another friend of mine, Andy, has a different view about Ms. Stefani:

“I don't really agree with the article much. She talks about how Stefani appropriated a youth culture for her own purposes, but what's wrong with that? She’s just using a style she thinks is cool, and people find their inspirations everywhere. Why not use the Harajuku girls? I don't even think the real girls in Harajuku are mad that they're being misrepresented by Gwen Stefani.”

Personally, I don't really mind if Ms. Stefani uses pseudo-Japanese culture to make a few bucks with her fashion line, or randomly throw in couple of Japanese Kanji in her music video and on the CD album covers, as long as she would get them done correctly.

Otherwise, she is just another Winkie poser.

44 comments:

  1. Can someone explain the knee pads? Do they play Volleyball in their spare time?

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  2. The kneepads are for when they are kneeling down to accept Bukkake.

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  3. i think gwen stefani is obsessive over harajuku girls. its not like i hav anything against the japanese, i just think "gwen stefani lives in america, not japan, so why is she obsessing over them. its really annoying that she gets people who are probably not even harajuku in her movies to bow down to her. the whole japanese thing is annoying.

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  4. hey....i think it is awesome what gwen is d0ing....she has inspired me t0 look bey0nd what i see everyday in America and learn about other countries....i especially love japan...they have so much culture..ugh...it is just amazing... and for all of you losers who are dissin her on this page are stupid cuz just because she is interested in a culture and decides to sing about doesnt mean shes a poser or anything so i think y'all should back off of her......i love you gwen stefani

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  5. Mea,

    do you think Gwen Stefani would still be interested in Harajuku Girls and Japanese culture, if there is no money or publicity to be made?

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  6. YAY! Go Gwen!!! I love what she's doing and I think that she should NEVER listen to the NEGATIVE comments that people make...just the POSITIVE ones! If we all did that, wouldn't the world be a much better place? All POSITIVE and stuff? *dreams* :D

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  7. I wonder if Gwen would still be escorted by the "harajuku girls" if no one buys into her pseudo-style, or the lack of.

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  8. im listening t0 gwen n0w "harajuku girls" and yes i think she would still be into the japanese culture..just because she sings about something she likes doesnt mean she is just does it for money...plus we dont know gwen personally so we really cant judge her...i look up to her though cuz she does have an intrest in japan and harajuku gurls...and she is strong enough to still sing about what she likes even though y'all critisize her. plus i am into japanese people and harajuku girls and i write about them, i dont do it for money so what makes you think she does??

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  9. She's treating them like plastic robots!

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  10. I don't get.Gwen's turning these ordenary girls into plastic robots.She's so rude!

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  11. wh0 d0 y0u think she is turning in0 "r0b0ts"? n0t me....she just happened t0 0pen my eyes t0 a new new culture whcih i am really interested in n0w THANKS t0 Gwen Stefani!!!!!

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  12. Mea, sweety, it would be a good idea that you start to read other's comments first before you leave your own.

    Have you ever read Ms. Stefani's bio?

    One thing found interesting and somewhat pathetic is that Ms. Stefani's natural hair colour is originally brown. She has been dying her hair into blonde colour since 9th grade. How pretencious do you have to be to fit into the "blonde" stereotype? And here she is telling all the young girls "no matter what you look like and who you are, just be yourself".

    If someone can't even go out in the public with her own natural hair colour, that is very sad.

    And her fans still think she is such great inspiration? Give me a f-cking break.

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  13. uh...wh0 cares if she dyes her hair i do too...it doesnt mean i am unhappy with myself i just like changes...you need to get a LYFE

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  14. and Mea needs some spelling lessons.

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  15. okay, so maybe I'm not Japanese, but I am part of an often misunderstood minority & a fan of Gwen Stefani. And I say...Who the Fuck cares that she's
    "misrepresenting" harajuku? If it bugs you that much, then don't watch, don't listen and be done w/it, why waste energy posting on message boards where you won't be heard anyway? Obviously a ton of people love Gwen regardless of her little stupidities (like the messed up kanji). As for those 4 girls, it may be pretty fucked that they're obligated to speak only Japanese, but uh correct me if I'm wrong but they accepted payment for it no? Yeah, they did so obviously they Must be okay w/it!

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  16. they probably get paid so much anyway...who cares? I'd speak japanese too if I could do all the things they get to do. They hang out at award parties, and go all over the world, make videos...who the fuck would say no to that?

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  17. "Reducing aspects of a foreign culture to commercialized and glamorized images, to be enjoyed solely for their cute or exotic qualities, makes them subservient and difficult to understand, let alone accept." (more)

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  18. I luv Gwen and I think if she wants to sing about Harajuku Girls then just let her I mean its those girls choice to do what they want to its not like they are forced to do what they do, u can see that they luv it, eniway I wouldn't say enitin until the Harajuku girls actually say they don't like it

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  19. I am a Japanese living near Tokyo, and I'd just like to say that we really don't care what Gwen does or says. The rule in Harajuku is anybody's free to do whatever they like. There's no wrong or right in fashion.

    We don't see her thing as a representation of the whole Japanese culture or Harajuku. We trust in the intelligence of those who watch Gwen, and you know, if you see it as pure entertainment, I think it's pretty amusing.

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  20. money justifies everything, does it? including prostituting one's own culture?

    besides, we did it to the native americans & that's all right, yes? steal their stuff and then try to be them when we start feeling guilty/inadequate.

    Gwen Stefani is a pop star. She is to music what McDonald's is to cuisine. Go buy a CD by someone who is actually a musician, people. Like Robert Wyatt. or Sonny Landreth. Or Thelonius Monk. stop filling your ears with this crap, it'll rot your brains out and you'll be a deaf idiot in no time.

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  21. Does it really matter.Has Gwen advertised she is trying to save the world no.She is an entertainer.People really stop reading so much into everything for goodness sakes.Cant we use this energy for something else like i dont know fighting kiddie porn,spam vampires ANYTHING!!If it bothers you dont watch dont listen.Simple

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  22. I know at least one of the harajuku girls is American. I went to high school with her, and had a few classes with her. In fact, I've known her since kindergarten, although I've never been close to her. She's very american, through and through. In fact, I don't even know if she speaks Japanese. So it was a bit strange when I found out she joined this entourage. She was definitely a great dancer, though, even then.

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  23. The point of the matter is that the girls agreed to this, they weren't forced into doing anything against their will. Will someone please explain to me why are we speculating over how these girls are being treated when it doesn't even bother THEM, which it obviously does not because the signed a binding contract. I am neither a huge fan of Gwen's or a "hater" but the point is if the girls had a problem with ANY of the terms, they could have simply said no. As for the ones who are so upset over the misrepresentation of the jappenese, why not open your ears, er, eyes and read that it does not bother them one bit!! So will you tell me why some of you are so against how Stefani treats them when it does not bother the very people you're trying to protect?!?!

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  24. All you folks that say posting in these boards in complaint where we "won't get heard" don't see the fact that we have been heard. You came here and posted as did a lot of others. See? We are changing the world. =D Just wanted to point that out.

    In other notes; Die Gwen, DIE.

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  25. i think that Gwen is a very talented musician/artist and well if she thought of these things to make money....by all means do it! i can't stand when people hate just because they thought of it before you did!!!

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  26. Okay, kid who sid we were all rotting our ears out with bad music, shame on you for having such a closed mind. Simply because you do not like something does not mean you condemn it. i listen to everything from Paul Anka, Nirvana, As I lay dying, and Rob Zombie to Beonce, Kanye west, And GWEN STEFANI!!! Whatever happened to enjoying music, accepting it as art, and going with the flow, dont conform, go with the flow. I admit, when I first Heard "I dress them wicked, I give them Names, Love Angel music baby, hurry up and come and save me" I was like What the hell is that??? That's not right, its like owning humans. But guess what, I got over it in 3 seconds, and went with the flow. Dont obsess over such petty things, you'll give yourself brain hemorageing, or succumb to spontanious combustion. Now, i would get worried if Beonce started carring little white girls around with her as living props and Britany spears started making hand bags for Pygmies. Lets Bitch about something we know ABSOLUTELY nothing about because we dont have anything else relevent enough to go off on. Oh, and Mea was right you do need to get a LYFE if your going to be criticizzzzzzzing Inturnet Shlang. That was rude of Anonymous to say that. "Art has no morals" REMEMBER THAT!!!! as an artist in both film, music, and painting, I LIVE by it. And I Adore and Support The Gwenihana four and Gwen. Girls Shake those Harajuku Asses As High as you possibly can!!!!!!!!

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  27. For Christ's sake, this is a blog. Ms. Stefani will do whatever she wants to do regardless if you are fan of hers or not.

    Just relax, people.

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  28. Isn't this a win/win situation??? Harajuku gets free publicity as a tourist destination, Gwen's fans get to obsess over her "new craze", and Gwen makes some money - (as do Love, Angel, Music and Baby). Now what's so wrong about all that?

    I visited Harajuku on my last business trip to Tokyo and loved it! I even got the chance to speak to a few locals in Harajuku and brought up the topic of Gwen... I was surprised that many hadn't even heard of her, but most of those who had love her.

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  29. 'Yo, I think it's good she puts them in the spotlight, and I was glad of it, I didn't think Japan was mentioned enough, but, y'know, this is some crazy otaku, so....

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  30. Personaly i like gwen stefani, i think shes creative and is an individual. So what if she dyes her hair, (it just makes her stand out), or if she has those girls following her around. I accept her as an artist and even though some of you may disagree, everyone is entitled to an opinion.

    You all say she is exploiting Jappanese culture but America is exploited too and i dont see anyone crying about that.

    I think its great that Gwen Stefani supports the jappanese culture because it will inspire people of all ages to become interested in the Jappanese (or any) culture.

    Gwens style doesnt necessarily represent the "harajuku" style,
    its probably her own but with 'inspiration' from the clothing or 'style' in harajuku or japan.

    Gwen Stefani has to be one of my favorite musicians/ artists because when you listen to her music she sings about personal stuff and things she likes, aka japan. Every song on her CD is different, and thats what makes it great.

    If shes making money off whats shes doing then good for her I know everyone would do it if they were in the same position.

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  31. She is WAY too chunky of an american to pull off any jap fashion properly.

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  32. you are all so wrong and gay except mea

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  33. OMG people get over it! It's not like the Japanese don't rip off the English language just to sell their products. Christ they don't even get half of the words right yet they still slap whatever they think is cool on a product. Just take a look at engrish.com for heavens sake. Quit being hypocrites and realize that every culture does this.

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  34. I always thought that Gwen Stefani was an amazing performer and living in Hawaii...I always appreciated her reggae fueled music...but as a Japanese woman I have found that her new CD often misrepresents Japanese (words, society, pathology, etc...) As far as major harm being inflicted upon the collective Japanese identity... I am still struggling with that concept...but I do find the girls waiting behind me in line at the movie theatre stating that, "the Japs in the Gwen Stefani music videos are creepy..." and then the girls proceed to mimic Stefani... saying, "Harakuku and Kawai" in that awful accent of her's...
    Stefani has the ablitiy to influence millions of people around the world...so, why not influence people in an appropriate way if you wish to expose "America" to Japanese cultural aspects? Why not be resposible?

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  35. Psh, the whole thing is ridiculous. Gwen Stefani must have fell in the pop starlet/bullshit factory.

    On the other hand, I hope the porno comes out soon, that'd be hot.

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  36. the "i'm so cool cuz i pretend to know something about Japan" thing is so transparent. it'd be almost cool if it wasn't so passe and cliche. girls in Harajuku are mostly the goth-Little Bo Peep look nowadays. i've never seen the neo knee pads (i lived in the Tokyo suburbs for 3 years.)
    Stefani also has some bullshit HP Harajuku style camera. it's some ugly piece of crap from HP, not the most design-conscious company out there, and certainly not a good maker of digital cameras. all that is japanese on it is the kanji for Harajuku.. and not even in a stylish font. (it's in the japanese equivalent of Times New Roman).

    if she knew ANYTHING about Japan, she'd know Harajuku is not where the fashion is. there's tons of other cooler places where the weirdo fashion comes out of, like Shinjuku or shibuya.

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  37. Zi, the look is called Lolita, not "Little Bo Peep." You may not like the Gothic & Lolita look, but you don't have to bash it; I happen to prefer gothi-loli to Shinjuku hipster fashion. Frankly, a lot of the stuff being sold in Shinjuku and Shibuya - as well as Harajuku - is simply a freer, less restrained take on the metro-indie secondhand look of places like San Francisco (my hometown). As for the hip-hop, it's not even anything more than loosely related to American hip-hop, and it's really more of a branch off the indie-hipster fashion than anything else. Case in point: I remember seeing a second-hand shop displaying a poster of a guy with a bunch of bling, and the tag line was "Anarchy Ghetto King." I'm sorry, but that's so far removed from the original cultural sensibility of hip-hop that calling it hip-hop is inaccurate.

    Frankly, the punk styles that are so popular in Harajuku and Shibuya are much the same, but they have much greater style in the execution.

    What saddens me is seeing how the creative expression of some really brilliant kids and a few alternative fashion designers is rudely misinterpreted for the sake of money and celebrity.

    Forget Gwen's "personal fascination" with Harajuku, it's obvious from the lyrics that she hasn't even been there... I think it's just a ploy dreamed up by some PR spinner.

    And yeah, the robotic girls, bowing in submission, do annoy me. I'm submissive myself, but subs aren't robots, and neither are Asian women - especially not gothloli, decora, visual kei cosplayers etc.

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  38. Personally, I think what she's doing is hillarious, from a business stand point. She treats them as if they aren't really there and a figment of her imagination??? If she keeps this act up at all times, this is great! How wonderfully bizzarre! And what great PR it is to get people talking about her (like here). The part about having them contractually obligated to speak only Japanese in public with her is even better to keep up the image of bizzarreness (if that's actually a word).
    Now, I'm not a fan, and I think, perhaps, her adopting Harajuku Girls is in questionable taste (regardelss of if it's accurately portraying the fashion in Harajuku or not), but as a whole, the concept is well thought out as a marketing gimmick.
    Too funny

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  39. Gwen Stefani is a Bleached Brunette. There is nothing Blonde about her. The blinding bleach-light on her head forces people to look at her. Surrounding herself with Brunettes that aren't bleached is a favorite trick of desperate Bleached Brunettes. They can't get attention without bleach and they can't keep it without using sex. Blondes are actively disassociating with Bleached Brunettes. Pass it on. Tell Dumb Bleached Brunette jokes and laugh hard.

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  40. My only problem with what gwen does with Harajuku Is the way she dresses them. she wants to call them 'Harajuku Girls' But anyone can look up on the internet and see that almost NONE of them dress like she dresses them. Her Harajuku Clothing line: Knock-off's. So she makes a bright yellow shirt and puts a random Kanji on it, And expects that to be 'Harajuku'. I have no problem with gwen,But if she's going to do something, it would be better if she at least did it right. Now when people hear the word 'Harajuku' they automatically think Gwen stefani. They're now too busy with her knock-offs to see the true art!

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  41. The thing that pisses me off is that she doesn't even talk about the fashion (decora, lolita, cyber, wamomo, secondhand, cosplay)...she just talks about her own lines L.A.M.B. ..and Harajuku lovers is overpriced...the girls at my school sport that stuff and talk about how cool they are and how hot the harajuku fashion is... I wear lolita to school and they call me a freak...that is until explain to them that it is one of the Harajuku subcultures...I fail to see what is so "harajuku" about wearing clothes with one symbol all over it...how is wearing a shirt with a "geisha" on it "harajuku"...it's a fucking tshirt that's all it is...I haven't seen gwen design a lolita dress, I haven't seen her design anything but tracksuits and tshirts with her face plastered all over it...what's even worse is that now everyone has this misconception that Harajuku is ultra stylish but when they see pictures they say "did they look in the mirror this morning"
    Japanese street fashion is about being unique and wearing clothes b/c you like them and not b/c they're the hottest thing...that's why I don't like Gwen Stefani trying to make it a mainstream thing it won't work and people will start wearing it because it's
    cool" and not because they enjoy wearing it

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  42. I think Gwen Stafani is generally one of the better pop stars out there;however, the fact that she uses these Japanese or Japanese-American women as props is problematic, especially because she is feeding into stupid stereotypes of Japanese women. I agree that these girls have made a decision to be her props, but that does not make it right. Its irresponsible and makes it difficult for us other Japanese women trying to break free of these stereotypes.

    On another note, to the many "nihon-bunka otaku", those of you obsessed by Japanese culture: There are great things about Japan, but don't get it wrong, Japan and Japanese culture is just as messed up as any other country or culture.

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  43. I don't mind Gwen. But I hate her pronunciation. Even when she says "Harajuku" I want to cringe! To me it screams fail.

    And I hate the majority of her fans too who go around squealing "Kawaii" at everything. Ugh.

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