was gwen’s l.a.m.b cultural appropriation?

[XxBones 765]

1 hour ago, LG666 said:

No. She was inspired by Japanese culture, specifically Harajuku, and made music and had aesthetics in that era that reflected this.

However... there are some undertones of racism in the way they did PR for the era. For example, having the two Japanese girls with her at all times. They signed NDA contracts that wouldn't allow them to speak which reinforces racist stereotypes that Asian women are submissive, complacent and objects. As a rich white woman, this made Gwen look bad. 

I honestly don't think there were bad intentions but looking back, it just has racist undertones in how they handled some aspects in this era. 

Otherwise, no, this album is not cultural appropriation in my opinion. 

Kinda reminds me of when Gaga did this 

[XxBones 765]

1 hour ago, hoeslay said:

I can't speak on all of it cuz I'm not Japanese and I know to some degree Japanese culture has different viewpoints on what is considered appropriation or not (i.e. you shouldn't appropriate traditional garments but streetwear trends and fashion styles like decora and harajuku are more shareable...i think - someone correct me if I'm wrong 💕) but as a latinx person....yeah her dressing up as a chola was not cute none of her business 

I’m Latino and I loved it. Especially luxurious I love that video and song. She looked like a chola in the valley. 

[Kitana 1,781]

cultural appropriation is such a dumb thing. i dont understand why we cant share our culture with others. those are invisible walls being put up by so called sjw's. we are all human and we share this world.

[Kadikaado 4,302]

1 minute ago, Kitana said:

cultural appropriation is such a dumb thing. i dont understand why we cant share our culture with others. those are invisible walls being put up by so called sjw's. we are all human and we share this world.

Well, there are some stuff like religious things that should not be used by people that are not part of that religion, but aside from that...

[Helxig 39,507]

We've got to adopt the term 'cultural appreciation' into our dialect alongside cultural appropriation, instead of just shouting APPROPRIATION at anything to do with any culture. The world is becoming weirdly segregated.

There's a difference between reducing something with great cultural significance to a costume, or making a mockery/joke out of someone's culture, and being influenced by cultural icons and garments because you find them beautiful, inspiring and appreciate their value

[ItWasntLaauv 6,392]

2 hours ago, XxBones said:

Kinda reminds me of when Gaga did this 

Don’t get me wrong this is iconic, but it’s also so funny they’re just standing there smoldering like🧍‍♀️

[Oriane 18,987]

3 hours ago, RAMROD said:

Japanese are not that kind of people, they embraced and appreciative for foreign people wearing their culture. They actually gonna help you to wear it correctly  if you wear the traditional true kimonos.

Weird, I know a white woman who wanted to buy a traditional kimono in Japan, and the seller was reluctant at first, a Japanese friend had to talk with her to convince her that she wanted to buy it because she liked and respected the culture etc.

[PropaGaga 2,948]

3 hours ago, Kadikaado said:

  This discussion reminds me of some Katy Perry's performance wearing a kimono when white people accused her of cultural apropriation and japanese people from Japan (descendents living in the USA are not japanese) thought it was awesome.

 

  If Gwen Stefani were doing Geisha bullsh1t or stuff like that I would think different, but she basically was expressing love for japanese fashion. You can't culturally apropriate a product that they sell to anyone. She didn't mess with anything forbiden for gaijin or religious. Fashion is fashion anywhere in the world.

 

Are people gonna forbid non-japanese from eating sushi because it's "cultural apropriation"? I often think americans love feeling this shame, because they feel like mighty colonizers "uh, I can't do this because I am apropriating their culture" like americans are superior to everyone and everyone else's culture is exotic, weak and anything is a disrespect. It's very narcisitic actually thinking you are that superior.

 

I live in Brazil, home of the biggest japanese colony in the world, older folks from Japan used to think of themselves as japaneses while japanese thought of the people who emigrated as traitors. I am not japanese descendent, but I have lots of them since I am a huge otaku and this type of thing is totally ok. Someday some stupid american is going to say that cosplaying anime/manga characters is cultural apropriation.

You have a very limited view of what appropriation actually is. Appropriation is not just dressing up (although that is part of it), it also includes profiting off someone’s else’s culture that is not your own. It has nothing to do with sushi or cosplay, and to suggest such a ludicrous thing really reduces the entire conversation to a joke. Just because these cultures may give off the impression of enjoying seeing themselves “celebrated”, it’s ultimately down to capitalism and knowing they can profit off (mainly) white people’s ignorance. It’s no different than indigenous people selling novelty souvenirs like headdresses at roadside stops. Most of the time these people have no choice but to do these things because it’s the only way they can make a living. There are ways to appreciate a culture without reducing it down to a stereotypical caricature. As a massive fan myself, I know Gwen appreciates Japanese culture, as well as various other cultures, and that’s great! But doing so with such a heavy hand and without truly educating herself or her audience beyond the veneer of pretty fashions and profiting off it is the very definition of cultural appropriation and ultimately ignorance. She and others who participate in such things should be held accountable. That doesn’t mean them being cancelled, it doesn’t mean she (and anyone else) can’t express her love for other cultures through her art or whatever, but learning the ropes of what is acceptable and what isn’t will only help everyone in the long run. 

[Serial Chiller 8,044]

2 hours ago, Kitana said:

cultural appropriation is such a dumb thing. i dont understand why we cant share our culture with others. those are invisible walls being put up by so called sjw's. we are all human and we share this world.

What you don't understand is cultural appropriation needs to be put into the context of racial strife in America, as well as in Western developed societies where diverse minority groups are present. 

Just like how the phrase 'All lives matter' makes perfect sense, it is a white supremacist tool when considering the racist institution and history of the country. 

Cultural appropriation is when the majority/the group in power picks and chooses whatever cultural feature of a minority group to duplicate and profit from, extracting it without its nuances and meaning, while undermining these very same people from which they steal the culture. 

Black features, like bronze/tanned skin, curly or Afro hair, thick "juicy" lips, big bosom and buttocks have all at one point or other been considered 'hip' or 'attractive' by white people. Yet black people with all these features are undesirable. 

Similarly, East Asian cultures, namely Chinese, Korean, and in this case, Japanese in this case, reduce the culture to mere props and products. Demure silent women who serve to liven up the background, Gwen's portrayal of the 4 Japanese girls on her album align with the exact stereotype that white people have of Asians. What does Katy Perry or her song 'unconditionally' have anything to do with kimonos and a weird mix of Japanese chinese aesthetic? Nope, only because it looked 'cool'. 

Native Americans have had their sacred ritual items reduced to fashion accessories, which are still extremely popular.

Many comments here talk about how this is not an issue in other countries. Well duh. Because a white man wearing a kimono in Japan has no power over local Japanese, but white Americans at home consuming stolen culture and racist portrayals on their media act out that racism against Japanese and Japanese born Americans in America, perpetuating stereotypes against these very real people.  

I hope you understand better about cultural appropriation and its real harms against minorities before dismissing it as a dumb thing. 

 

 

[RAMROD 96,407]

1 hour ago, Oriane said:

Weird, I know a white woman who wanted to buy a traditional kimono in Japan, and the seller was reluctant at first, a Japanese friend had to talk with her to convince her that she wanted to buy it because she liked and respected the culture etc.

 

Real kimonos are very valuable and expensive, it is unlike those that were made cheaply and sold specifically for tourists as memento, and usually  sellers already have their own clients. So when a stranger came it to buy without anyone introduce them first to the seller, they can always be reluctant to sell it because of the exclusivity and avoiding to offend their clients because they did not offer those items to them first.

It is the similiar case where there are bars and clubs in Japan that would only serve regulars, so tourists or strangers are actually not welcome there unless you were taken in by one of the regular hence you will become their regular too.

It is all just different culture. Japanese enjoy a bit of elitism, and exactly why fan clubs are still a thriving business there.

 

[migamiga 12,067]

as an asian american i struggle with how i feel about it cause i see both sides. you could say it wasn't appropriation because she constantly credited harajuku/japanese culture and never embodied it as if it were her own. however, i do agree that it felt very gimmicky and the harajuku girls were used as props and exoticized. i was really young when it came out and was just so happy to see japanese culture celebrated and not laughed at.

however, if you wanna talk about her line harajuku lovers, i would say that is a form of cultural appropriation. that is literally taking something from japanese culture and profiting from it while slapping a white name/face on it. also i feel like a lot of americans associate the word harajuku with gwen- another biproduct of appropriation where the originator is overshadowed by the appropriator. i know gwen didn't mean to and she had genuine appreciation and respect for the culture and it was the mid 2000s. also as someone mentioned here, japanese people don't really care about this stuff and love sharing their culture. cultural appropriation is such an american thing to discuss. but personally i feel there is some validity to it because if gwen was asian, i highly doubt that era or her fashion linewouldve been successful. pocs always have to watch white people introduce our culture to the masses before it becomes acceptable or cool and then all of a sudden there's hype surrounding that culture and pocs are just like yeah... we've been doing this but nobody cared until a white person thought it was cool. 

sorry got kind of carried away but just wanted to share my pov

[Nathaniel Arven 1,282]

There are some cultures that have been segregated and then stolen from. Some people still feel the weight of racism on their lives and then they see white people faking their accent and style and I understand that they feel robbed. 

But in the case of Gwen, she specifically claims her love for Japan and Harajuku style, so she puts a spotlight onto an other culture, so the case of LAMB for me sounds fair. On the other hand she made serious business out of Harajuku's name with her brand if I 'member well and that might be the real side of the problem. Idk... I'm just answering fast. 

 

 

 

[js4754394o9823 6,882]

Obviously it is, cmon. Selling Japanese stuff, walking with some girls that never talked as your accessory...

Great video about that

 

[bluemonkey 635]

I’m not Japanese but as an Asian it didn’t offend me compared to people coming up to me and assuming I’m Chinese like all of us are just one race. Gwen dated her drummer and he was Indian, and she’s mentioned in interviews at the time her inspiration (there’s even a song on the album praising them for the cool style) 

[Grace 337]

The version of Japanese culture she emulated is, itself, already a Japanese take on Western trends to begin with so the whole thing is kind of a big ol' circle isn't it?

 

The Harajuku Girls were a bit iffy though, I guess