Stefani told me she identifies not just with Japan's culture, but also with the Hispanic and Latinx communities of Anaheim, California, where she grew up. "The music, the way the girls wore their makeup, the clothes they wore, that was my identity," she said.
Calaor wrote that Stefani said she was Japanese multiple times but also said she identified with Hispanic and Latino communities and was “a little bit of an Orange county girl, a little bit of a Japanese girl, a little bit of an English girl”.
Her father Dennis Stefani is Italian American and worked as a Yamaha marketing executive. Her mother Patti (née Flynn) is Irish-American and worked as an accountant before becoming a homemaker. Stefani's parents were fans of folk music and exposed her to music by artists like Bob Dylan and Emmylou Harris.
Harajuku Lovers is a fashion brand inspired by the vibrant street style of Tokyo's Harajuku district. It offers a unique selection of clothing, accessories and fragrances that capture the spirit of the area.
Stefani has long been criticized for appropriating culture in her music and artistry. In the 1990s, she often wore a bindi, a Hindu symbol worn on the foreheads of women to indicate they're married.
Gary Linkov, a New York plastic surgeon who discusses celeb nips and tucks on his YouTube channel, goes even further, suggesting the “Hollaback Girl” singer may have spent as much as $428,000 on procedures over the years, including Botox, veneers for her teeth, a brow lift and two revision brow lifts, a facelift, cheek ...
Let's put more thought into that tiny spot in between the arc of the eyebrows in a woman's forehead. The bindi or what we call it as a “pottu” originates from the sanskrit word “bindu” which means a point or a dot. Bindu is said to retain energy and strength concentration.
Harajuku goth
The area centered on Takeshita Street is a treasure trove of niche fashion. The goth look has been around for many years and is still going strong. Decked out in all black clothing, the goths of Harajuku form a strong contrast to the colorful 'kawaii' looks for which the area is famed.
What are Harajuku Girls? Perhaps best known for Gwen Stefani's backup dancers, the term Harajuku Girls is related to the quirky charisma and vibrant trends of the Harajuku district itself. Mostly worn by teens and young women, this style has become an iconic look in Tokyo and something that tourists yearn to see.
Harajuku Lovers was the the fragrance line that she launched in 2008 that faced intense backlash — each of the fragrance line's five bottles was shaped in a caricature of Stefani and the Harajuku girls and was called out by comedian Margaret Cho at the time.
In 2004, Stefani released her first solo album, Love. Angel. Music. Baby., which had more of a pop and club music sound than her work with No Doubt.
In over 20 years, Gwen Stefani's hair hasn't been anything but platinum, but she's actually a natural brunette. Stefani's colorist, Danilo Dixon, told Refinery29 that he dyes her hair every week with a bleach-free formula he developed just for the star.
Did you know Gwen Stefani and Madonna are cousins?
She was one of four children born to Dennis Stefani and Patti Flynn. Her siblings are Eric Stefani, Jill and Todd Stefani. Her father is of Italian descent and her mother's ancestry is English, Irish, Scottish, German, and Norwegian.
"Basically [a 'hollaback girl' is] someone who is going to be, like, going back at somebody that's coming at them. In a bad way or a good way," Stefani explained in a video for Brut. In the context of the song, Stefani said, "I wouldn't be that person. I'm above that kind of thing."
Harajuku Lovers is a label created by Gwen Stefani.
The word Harajuku means “meadow lodging” in Japanese, according to the online Japanese dictionary Jisho. As a town or village, it's been around since at least the 12th century.
The Harajuku Girls are Maya Chino ("Love"), Jennifer Kita ("Angel"), Rino Nakasone ("Music") and Mayuko Kitayama ("Baby"). The name of the group is a reference to Harajuku, a neighborhood of Tokyo. The stage names of the women are derived from Stefani's Love.
Dressing Up
In Tokyo there are thousands who regularly take part in 'cosplay' short for 'costume play'. On weekends, and especially on Sundays, Harajuku is an ocean of colour, with an impossible array of costumes and personalities on show.
If you want to meet “Harajuku Girls,” you should come to MOSHI MOSHI BOX located near the Takeshita Street. There is a big and colorful world clock on the wall of the MOSHI MOSHI BOX building and many Harajuku girls visit there to take photogenic photos!
"Visual kei" is the embodiment of the Japanese interpretation of "gothic." The luminaries of visual kei, often intertwined with the post-class wave, echo the influences of the gothic bands that graced the punk era.
An izakaya is a traditional Japanese pub or tavern that is more than a mere dining establishment. Rooted in Japanese history, the term 'izakaya' is a fusion of 'i' (to stay) and 'sakaya' (sake shop), reflecting its historical origins as places where customers could enjoy sake and stay for a meal.
Today, both married and unmarried women don the bindi in various shades, shapes, and sizes. Some women wear black bindis before they become wives as a sign that they are attempting to keep any evil spirits at bay. On the other hand, some widows wear black bindis to symbolize their grief and loss.
Sindoor is an orange/red colored powder used by. the Hindu community for religious and cultural. purposes. Married women may wear sindoor in the. part of their hair to indicate marriage status.
Decorative and ornamental bindis were introduced to other parts of the world by immigrants from the Indian subcontinent. International celebrities such as Gwen Stefani, Julia Roberts, Madonna, Selena Gomez and many others have been seen wearing bindis. The appropriateness of such uses has been disputed.