Lauren's Media Blog: Gwen Stefani and her Harajuku Girls!

Since her debut in 1992 with the band No Doubt, Gwen Stefani has been high on the music charts. However, it’s not just her musical talent that keeps Gwen in the spotlight, it’s her fashion sense as well.

At one quick glance you can see that Stefani does not follow the typical North American style. Admiring “wild hair colours” and “dead on accessories”, Gwen is influenced by Harajuku fashion trends. As a way to incorporate more Harajuku culture into her career, Gwen hired four Asian actresses to play the part of harajuku backup dancers in her first solo album, L.A.M.B.

The conflict: Is Gwen Stefani showcasing sub-culture or reinforcing ethnic stereotypes?

Let’s first determine the definition of “a Harajuku girl”. According to japanesselifestyle.com, a Harajuku girl is a term used to describe young teen girls in Harajuku, Tokyo who wear a style of clothing that originated in the street culture of major cities in Japan. This description leaves the impression that girls living in Harajuku are primarily focused on fashion trends and styles and nothing more. Not much different from saying, “A Canadian girl is a term used to describe a young Canadian teen who plays hockey and eats a diet of maple syrup”. We all know that this is a stereotypical idea of a Canadian teen and would be frustrated to see it displayed as a reality in other countries. However, Gwen Stefani’s portrayal of Harjuku girl’s in North America is very much like their definition above: fashion crazy. As a result, Gwen Stefani may be bringing other cultures into North American media but only by a clichéd representation.

On MTV’s TRL, Gwen stated that the Harajuku girls where in fact “a manifestation of her imagination” and asked the interviewer to pretend like they were not present. This comment, along with the girl’s blank expressions, zombie like poses, extreme giggling and knowingness to bow down to Gwen, proves that the Harajuku girls are not being treated with equality or respect. Although Harjuku culture has become more popular since Gwen Stefani introduced them, they are not being represented fairly. I believe REAL harajuku girls would benefit Gwen’s career as backup dancers. Not only are they familiar with the culture, they can accurately portray the lives of real harjuku girls in Tokyo.

In addition, complaints were made to Gwen about mispronouncing “harajuku” and “cho kawaii” in her music lyrics, saying she sings them like a typical Caucasian. If Gwen respected the Harajuku culture and embraced their language in her music, she would go out of her way to pronounce each word properly. However, Gwen would rather exploit the Harajuku culture to benefit herself and her own commercial gain!

llllllllllllllllllllllHarajuku -- Japanesse Pop Culture Fashion!