Gwen Stefani is under fire after a making a bold statement.

In a new interview with Allure regarding her beauty brand GXVE, Gwen reflected on the launch of her first beauty line, Harajuku Lovers fragrance, which was inspired by Japan's Harajuku culture. While discussing the collection—which some have criticized as blatant cultural appropriation—Gwen doubled down on her decision, going as far as to say that she is Japanese, despite having an Italian American father and Irish American mother.

"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," Gwen told the outlet, reflecting on the influence her father's frequent travels to Japan had on her.

When she finally visited Harajuku herself, Gwen shared that she had an epiphany of sorts: "I said, ‘My God, I'm Japanese and I didn't know it.'"

She added, "I am, you know," while describing herself as "super fan" and claiming her ties to Japanese culture were laced with "innocence."

"If [people are] going to criticize me for being a fan of something beautiful and sharing that, then I just think that doesn't feel right," Gwen continued. "I think it was a beautiful time of creativity… a time of the ping-pong match between Harajuku culture and American culture."

The 53-year-old went on to note her belief that it "should be okay to be inspired by other cultures because if we're not allowed then that's dividing people."

According to the article, Gwen didn't stop there, and instead referred to herself as Japanese twice throughout the conversation. Additionally, she is said to have described herself as "a little bit of an Orange County girl, a little bit of a Japanese girl, a little bit of an English girl."

While Gwen recalled being a fan of Japanese culture, her affinity for other cultures isn't limited to just that. During the interview, she also noted that she "identifies" with the Hispanic and Latinx communities of her hometown in California.

"The music, the way the girls wore their makeup, the clothes they wore, that was my identity," she said. "Even though I'm an Italian American—Irish or whatever mutt that I am—that's who I became because those were my people, right?"

Source:
courtesy of E!ONLINE

by DAISY MALDONADO

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