Kyle Richards defended Gwen Stefani’s assertion that she is of Japanese origin, even though her parents are of Italian and Irish descent, amid claims of cultural appropriation.
Kyle Richards Defends Gwen Stefani Following Claims She Was Engaging In Cultural Appropriation-‘Everyone Can’t Wait To Be Offended By Something’
When people of a dominant demographic borrow components of a less powerful societal group and use them in a demeaning, mocking, or one-dimensional manner, it is called cultural appropriation.
With that being said, in a discussion with Allure, Stefani continuously asserted that she is of Asian heritage when asked about her Harajuku Lovers collection perfume from 2004, which has been used to exemplify cultural appropriation by many.
In her comments at the time, Gwen said: “I said, ‘My God, I’m Japanese and I didn’t know it. I am, you know.” Much in the same way, Stefani was accused of doing something similar in 2004.
Stefani discussed the negative feedback she experienced in the course of her professional life, particularly what happened when she released her 2004 album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. At the time, she was usually found on stage with a group of Japanese-American backup dancers, who were known as the Harajuku Girls.
Once again, that was deemed to be another sign of cultural appropriation. And yet, Stefani defended her actions. In some prior comments, she remarked: “All these rules are just dividing us more and more.
“I think that we grew up in a time where we didn’t have so many rules. We didn’t have to follow a narrative that was being edited for us through social media, we just had so much more freedom.”
But through it all, Kyle made it clear in no uncertain terms that she was not going to let people create what she believed to be a mountain out of a molehill. And in the process of doing so, she slammed those who had been offended by Gwen’s words.
Her following comments confirmed as much: “Everyone can’t wait to be offended by something.” So there you have it folks. What did you think about this? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
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