In an Allure magazine interview, Gwen Stefani receives flak for saying, "I'm Japanese."

In an interview with Allure magazine to promote her cosmetics line GXVE, music artist Gwen Stefani was criticised for remarks she made about her fondness for Japan.

In the story that was released on Tuesday, 53-year-old Stefani spoke extensively about her influences from Japan. She even admitted to being Japanese at one point while reminiscing about a trip to Japan to writer Jesa Marie Calaor, saying, "My gosh, I didn't know it."

After being questioned about her earlier attempts in cosmetics, particularly her "Harajuku Lovers" scent collection from 2008, Stefani made the remark. The "Harajuku Lovers" perfume and the original record's marketing and artwork largely drew inspiration from the vibrant Japanese underground culture after the release of her solo album "Love.Angel.Music.Baby."

Early in the new millennium, Stefani would frequently walk the red carpet with a group of four Japanese backing dancers, Maya Chino (nicknamed "Love"), Jennifer Kita ("Angel"), Rino Nakasone ("Music"), and Mayuko Kitayama ("Baby").

After being accused of appropriating Japanese culture in the 2000s, Stefani has faced backlash in subsequent years. Stefani was asked whether there was anything she had picked up from this time in her career by Calaor, a Filipina-American. Stefani responded by describing her father's many business visits to Japan and how he would return with tales that she found "fascinating," before telling Calaor that when she first went to Tokyo's Harajuku district, she mistakenly believed she was Japanese. Later, she also described to herself as a culture "superfan."

She explained to Calaor that she felt it wasn't acceptable for people to blame her for admiring something lovely and sharing it at the time. The ping-pong match between American and Harajuku cultures, Stefani said, was a time of great inventiveness. You know, we wouldn't have as much beauty if we didn't purchase, sell, and exchange our civilizations.

CNN asked Stefani's representatives for a response to the piece and the accompanying social media backlash, but they did not give one right away.

Calaor expressed her displeasure with Stefani's remarks, particularly in light of the "sobering" trend of rising prejudice against Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) groups in the United States. "I envy anyone who can claim to be a part of this lively, creative community but escape the portion of the narrative that might be sad or dangerous," she wrote.

Stefani's interview has received mixed reviews online, with everything from amusement to rage being expressed. While The Cut reporter Olivia Truffaut-Wong alleged that Stefani was employing "Asian women as props to help her get rich," American author Roxane Gay tweeted ironically, "Gwen Stefani's publicist must be busy today."

Stefani's staff allegedly reached out the day following the interview, claiming Calaor had "misunderstood" what Stefani was attempting to communicate, but they reportedly did not react to a request for a follow-up interview or provide an official explanation of the remarks.

Sources :- https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/gwen-stefani-im-japanese-controversy-allure/index.html