Is Gwen Stefani A Culture Vulture? Social Media Scolds Star’s Pop Past

Published: Tuesday 19th Sep 2017 by David

In a world without social media intense criticism of public figures could be contained in the corners of obscure message boards by PR savvy publicists.

The world, as we all know has changed.

What that means for potentially problematic stars? Hell.

For, after escaping the harsh hand of public criticism during their peaks they now find themselves forced to face the music.

The latest act to find herself in a spot of historic trouble?

Gwen Stefani.

Time had this to say about Stefani in 2014…

Stefani used four backup dancers known as the “Harajuku girls” in all her performances and as an entourage offstage. They followed her everywhere and were reportedly contractually obligated to only speak Japanese in public. She renamed them — as if they were pets — “Love,” “Angel,” “Music” and “Baby” after her album title. As you can see in the video for the song “Harajuku Girls” above, the women are basically puppets. The lyrics of her actual songs aren’t much better. In “Harajuku Girls,” Stefani calls their culture, “A Ping-Pong match between Eastern and Western.”

Unfortunately for her, many still feel the same way today prompting a heated debate online hours ago.

 

Why cultural appropriation is a no-no?

Your thoughts?

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Comments 36

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  1. BOOBIE September 19, 2017

    So tired of the hypersensitivity of social media. Ever since 2016 it has gotten significantly worse. There’s cultural appropriation and then there’s cultural appreciation. Gwen used to make Ska infused music with No Doubt which originated in Jamaica. She’s not painting her face brown and drawing/injecting bigger lips. Nor do I think that she’s thinks she’s black or Asian. Yes she’s worn braids before but that’s not appropriation, she never claimed them as her own.

    Our love for our black culture has become riddled with people pushing every non-black person out that wears braids, dreads, raps, dances a certain way…we don’t have to accept everyone because there are some culture vultures but NOT everyone smh

    • S****** Blonde September 19, 2017

      Thank you, in Scandinavia our traditional hairstyle is mostly braids, although different from that of black people, is worth mentioning. I have seen many black girls with a Swedish braid hairstyle, are they culture vultures too?…like you said people are so hypersensitive these days.

      • whut September 19, 2017

        Sit. Hair braiding originated in Africa, not Scandinavia. Try again.

      • Caleb September 19, 2017

        “Swedish braidstyle”? Try again

      • We are the grandchildren of the slaves you couldn’t kill – tyler September 19, 2017

        Are u dumb ? Braids date all the way back to Africa B.C. Stop trying to justify the fuckery you culture vulture

      • S****** Blonde September 19, 2017

        Where did I say that all types of braids originated in Scandinavia?….I clearly stated that our braids are different in style than those of black people, our type of braids are different and those definitely originated here, read people, READ.

      • We are the grandchildren of the slaves you couldn’t kill – tyler September 19, 2017

        Regardless of the style HAIR BRAIDING originated IN AFRICA! What part of that do you not understand? Hair braiding wouldn’t be a thing if it hadnt have been originated by BLACK PEOPLE . We inspire a lot of things that you do and rarely get the proper credit for it. So stop.

      • Yes. September 19, 2017

        “Hair braiding wouldn’t be a thing if it hadnt have been originated by BLACK PEOPLE“

        Are you trying to say, that no one would have come up with that? It’s hardly rocket science. People have played with their hair since the beginning of time.

      • Jasmine September 19, 2017

        Boobie = Assimilated Uncle Tom promoting Uncle Tomming whenever that heshe can.

        S****** = Racist White heshe Trash that is on EVERY race baiting post.

        Ignore those two agenda-having B|tches. Their comments and agendas are idioitic and meaningless!

    • We are the grandchildren of the slaves you couldn’t kill – tyler September 19, 2017

      I SAID! WHAT I SAID!

      • Mother September 19, 2017

        ??????

  2. DanYiel Iman September 19, 2017

    Hmm I never been a fan..??‍♂️

  3. liam September 19, 2017

    Someone is clearly bored….during that era that was also the name of her clothing line and she gave an in depth interview about this… Geez

    • Caleb September 19, 2017

      How does it being the name of her clothing line absolve her of being a culture vulture?

  4. Theman September 19, 2017

    They can sit down with this bullshyt..

  5. S****** Blonde September 19, 2017

    Funny how all the comments are from black people ?

    • whut September 19, 2017

      Funny how you can tell that just from their twitter handles. #racistmuch?

    • Caleb September 19, 2017

      Yea, the people most affected negatively by racism calling out racism. Who woulda thought?! ?

    • We are the grandchildren of the slaves you couldn’t kill – tyler September 19, 2017

      YOUR POINT IS? What are you trying to say ?

  6. Caleb September 19, 2017

    Margaret Cho called her out on this during hey ‘Love. Angel. Music. Baby.’ era in which she got her whole aesthetic from Japanese culture, aside from ‘Hollaback Girl’ which was obviously her attempt at hip-hop culture. Also as much as I’ve loved Madonna, she’s done the same cultural appropriating as Stefani.

  7. #TeamTinashe Stan (DaniLeigh “Summer With Friends” Is Out ???) September 19, 2017

    Twitter users are just bored and want something to be mad about.

  8. Meme September 19, 2017

    This is the kind of blog post I like. One that encourage engaging debates rather Stan wars. Keep this up and stop with the non sense post please.

  9. We are the grandchildren of the slaves you couldn’t kill – tyler September 19, 2017

    Dear White People, I notice it’s mostly you guys who keep trying to down play the issue. I want to give you all a news flash for us people of color cultural appropriation is the Nazi using the Swastika, the KKK using the Cross, Isis using the Islamic banner, and the Kardashians rocking cornrows. All us people of color want to do is excel and strive with out the b*******. Please bleeding heart, culture vulture, White folks LEAVE US ALONE!

    Yours Truly
    TYLER

  10. Yes. September 19, 2017

    I find this very nagative, basically condeming people for doing what they want to do, just because they aren’t from a certain background. It’s called bullying. People should be able to do what they want, without being bullied d. No one owns culture! People need to get over themselves!

    • Mother September 19, 2017

      Shut the hell up, throw this whole post away.

    • Jasmine September 20, 2017

      Being called out for doing something is not “bullying” it is literally calling something out dummy. If you stole something while in a store and a customer tells you to put it back on the shelf they are not “bullying” you but rather calling you out for stealing.

      • Yes. September 20, 2017

        Are you serious? Culture is free for everyone! That’s like me saying, when I’m in Japan, im breathing the Japanese air.. So thats stealng.

        Culture isn’t a possession, it’s fine for everyone to use, just like the air we breath. Get over it.

      • Jasmine September 20, 2017

        @Yes Stop victimizing yourself. You re no victim and no one is bullying you B|tch. FOH

  11. We are the grandchildren of the slaves you couldn’t kill – tyler September 19, 2017

    Miley Cyrus is a good example of this. I think so many people got put off by Miley’s transitioning back to her “whiteness” is because she only appropriated the hip hop culture as long as it benefited her. Hip Hop is a LIFESTYLE which hip hop artist eat, breathe, love and live, it’s even claimed the lives of some of the best of the best like Tupac & Biggie. You just don’t pick it up as a phase thinking it’s cute then put it back down when it cramps your style because the white audience misses the Hannah Montana.

    • Yes. September 19, 2017

      Oh please, no one owns culture. Everyone is free to do what they want. You’ll just have to accept this. Stop putting barriers on people! I won’t be bullied!

      • We are the grandchildren of the slaves you couldn’t kill – tyler September 19, 2017

        You sound dumb.

  12. Kevin September 19, 2017

    I’ve never written on a blog in my life though I stop by this site every night ( I’m in Oslo ) I feel like the first comment everyone is so sensitive about everything these days just to start an argument about this or that; maybe being from Savannah (Btw I’m black with a white father ) and I was raised with differently we as black people aren’t the victims we need to stop acting like we are racism is known world wide there’s racism everywhere cultural appreciation is very different than ( culture vulture or whatever ) let people live their lives let people enjoy getting to know different cultures and learn to love different cultures. Why do we need to fight about everything people in Japan loved her, people in South Korea loved her. Black is beautiful but not everything is about us. Let go and go find the joy in being black and learning about what cultures can teach us. It’s so sad makes me not want to read these blogs anymore or ever.

    • Ya September 19, 2017

      Your not black u r what ur father is a white girl/boy with a black mother so ur thinking makes sense why you thnk the way u do so u do not and cannot speak on what black people feel to the extent people wit 2 real so called black parents do cuz u fight with a side that has nothing to do with blacks and ur fathers side of reasoning u have some white man thinking in you…

  13. Sam September 20, 2017

    Once the homie Bey gives up her collection of blond wigs this will actually be up for debate. There is a difference between appreciation and appropriation but that difference depends on interpretation. Gwen been a free spirit. Also if these Asian women were under contract and on the clock to represent themselves and their culture then so be it. They did it willingly. It’s not like she hired white people to do it. As I was reading the comments a lot of them sounded like trump tweets tbh. They all had they “this is ours u can’t have none…go back to where u came from” feel. I do agree that there are lines that shouldn’t be crossed but art/culture is designed to to transcend and inspire. We don’t own none of this.

    • Anon June 4, 2018

      There are black (brown-skinned) people with naturally blonde hair. . that hair colour is not exclusive to one race of people

  14. ~The Arcade~ September 20, 2017

    I TRULY DESPISE THIS SOCIAL MEDIA GENERATION… UGH!!!

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