Meanwhile, a representative for the No Doubt singer stops short from clarifying the artist's comments about her Harajuku era in a recent interview with Allure.
- Jan 12, 2023
AceShowbiz - Kyle Richards stands by Gwen Stefani despite the singer's controversial comments about her Harajuku era. After the "Hollaback Girl" songstress came under fire for saying, "I'm Japanese," in response to old cultural appropriation allegations, the reality TV star has come to the singer's defense.
Kyle, who once got a lesson from her "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" co-star Garcelle Beauvais about racial undertones following her jarring accusation to Garcelle, gave her two cents on Gwen's remarks in the comments section of E! News' Instagram post. "Everyone can't wait to be offended by something," she wrote.
Gwen landed in hot water following her interview with Allure, in which she was asked about the backlash she received for her Japanese-inspired imagery she used heavily on her 2004 album "Love. Angel. Music. Baby.", her fragrance line "Harajuku Lovers" and her L.A.M.B. fashion line. She cited her father's job at Yamaha as her inspiration when speaking to the interviewer, Jesa Marie Calaor, who is Asian American.
"That was my Japanese influence and that was a culture that was so rich with tradition, yet so futuristic (with) so much attention to art and detail and discipline and it was fascinating to me," the 53-year-old said, adding that her own visit to Harajuku led to an epiphany. "I said, 'My God, I'm Japanese and I didn't know it."
The interviewer said Gwen called herself "Japanese" more than once in the interview, describing herself at one point as "a little bit of an Orange County girl, a little bit of a Japanese girl, a little bit of an English girl."
The former "The Voice" coach immediately earned backlash for her remarks, but she has not responded to the criticism. According to the magazine, Gwen's rep stopped short from clarifying her controversial comment. The rep at first told the publication that the journalist had misunderstood but then declined to give an on-the-record clarification.
Meanwhile, some fans have defended Blake Shelton's wife. "Not even going to read the article because I'm 100% sure her comments were taken out of context and she meant no harm. Much love to Gwen Stefani! she's amazing!" someone also commented on E! News' post.
Another chimed in, "This is ridiculous, there are so many more important stories to cover. She was saying how much she relates, bonded & loves the Japanese Culture! If you want to be upset about something, be upset about climate change, childhood poverty & corporate greed run amok...but NOT Gwen Stefani! Smh."
