Gwen Stefani Accused of Cultural Appropriation for Appearance in New Music Video ·

26 Aug 2024, 00:00

Jill O'Rourke

Jill O’Rourke is a contributor at Talent Recap, writing news stories and recaps for shows like ‘AGT,’ ‘The Voice,’ and ‘American Idol.’ She graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and Film Studies, and has been writing about pop culture since 2012, with previous bylines at Crushable and A Plus. Jill spends her free time binge-watching sitcoms and daydreaming about life as a hobbit

| July 14, 2022 Gwen Stefani performs at Tecata Emblema Festival 2022

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The Voice coach Gwen Stefani is being accused of cultural appropriation following the release of a new music video for “Light My Fire” by Sean Paul, also featuring Shenseea. Stefani sports dreadlocks in the video, sparking discussion on social media.

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Gwen Stefani Faces Cultural Appropriation Accusations

In the new music video, Stefani wears a tight-fitting green and yellow outfit with fishnet accents. She’s also wearing long, blonde dreadlocks, with a bun on the top of her head. Some Twitter users criticized Stefani for the look, accusing her of cultural appropriation.

One user wrote, “Gwen Stefani is BACK with a cultural appropriation banger.” Someone else replied, “I refuse to believe no one attempted to explain this to her … so the conclusion is she’s aware and just doesn’t give a sh*t.”

Others tried to defend Stefani, with one user writing that Sean Paul himself is Jamaican and appeared with Stefani in the video, adding that he “even praised Gwen for embracing the culture for years.”

It’s true that Paul said of Stefani in an interview, “Her son is named Kingston! She loves the vibes. She wears the colors, has the arm bands. I’m like, ‘Yo, she down with the movement.’ She represents for the country.”

Stefani Has Responded to Similar Accusations

This isn’t the first time Stefani has faced such accusations. Her past accusations include, appropriating Indian, Native American and Hispanic cultures. But perhaps most notably, she receives criticism for her Japanese entourage the Harajuku Girls.

Stefani responded to the backlash in a 2021 interview with Paper magazine, saying, “If we didn’t buy and sell and trade our cultures in, we wouldn’t have so much beauty, you know? We learn from each other, we share from each other, we grow from each other. And all these rules are just dividing us more and more.”

The singer hasn’t addressed the latest criticism. She’s been excitedly promoting the new “Light My Fire” music video on social media this week.

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Gwen Stefani Accused of Cultural Appropriation for Appearance in New Music Video

Gwen Stefani Faces Cultural Appropriation Accusations

Stefani Has Responded to Similar Accusations

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