Gwen Stefani hit with fresh ‘cultural appropriation’ criticism after new music video

Gwen Stefani has sparked a new conversation about cultural appropriation thanks to her new music video seeing her wearing her hair in dreadlocks. The singer has previously responded to similar criticism in the past, saying ‘these rules are just dividing us more and more’

Gwen Stefani has been accused of cultural appropriation once again with her latest music video appearance.

The No Doubt singer, 52, has provoked a backlash online thanks to sporting dreadlocks in the music video for her new single, Light My Fire.

Some internet commentators have claimed her latest alleged cultural appropriation won’t “fly like it did back in the day” – referring to similar long-running historic accusations attached to the mum-of-three.

Gwen’s new bop is a collaboration with Jamaican rapper Sean Paul and singer Shenseea, and sees The Voice judge wearing her hair in dreadlocks and a dress made up of the colours of the Jamaican flag: green, black and yellow.

Gwen Stefani appears alongside rapper Sean Paul in the new talked-about music video (
Image:
YouTube/ Sean Paul)
In the wake of the video premiering on YouTube earlier this week, social media users have slammed California-born Gwen for her styling choices.

“i see gwen stefani back to her cultural appropriation roots,” one Twitter user mused on Thursday, with another adding: “B***h we in 2022 now.. that cultural appropriation shit ain’t gone fly like it did back in the day with your old a**.”

Another of the many comments reads: “Gwen Stefani said f*** your discourse, I’m gonna appropriate like it’s 2004.”

The singer’s latest look has divided fans online (
Image:
YouTube/ Sean Paul)
Gwen has long been accused of been accused of appropriating Asian, Black, and African cultures – particularly during the 00s when she incorporated a lot of Japanese culture into her music and business ventures.

Cultural appropriation is described as the inappropriate or unacknowledged adoption of an element or elements of one culture or identity by members of another culture or identity.

During her Lamb era, the Don’t Speak singer would often appear alongside four Japanese and Japanese-American women – Maya Chino, Jennifer Kita, Rino Nakasone and Mayuko Kitayama – whom she referred to as her ‘Harajuku Girls’.

Gwen was known to often wear bindis throughout the 90s (
Image:
Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

The singer alongside her four backup dancers and muses (
Image:
WireImage)
Don’t Miss
Gwen ‘named’ the women Love, Angel, Music and Baby in reference to her debut solo album and clothing line, and went on to release a ‘Harajuku Lovers’ fragrance line.

Responding the the retrospective criticism of her use of Japanese culture, Gwen told Paper magazine last year: “I had this idea that I would have a posse of girls — because I never got to hang with girls — and they would be Japanese, Harajuku girls, because those are the girls that I love. Those are my homies.”

“That’s where I would be if I had my dream come true, I could go live there and I could go hang out in Harajuku.”

Gwen has previously defended the controversial era of her career (
Image:
Getty Images)
She added: “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.”

In the wake of the most recent round of cultural appropriations accusations presented to Gwen, many of the Just a Girl singer’s fans have rushed to her defence online.

“Gwen Stefani is out here aging like fine wine and bored people are getting outraged by fake cultural appropriation? Sean Paul asked her to be in the song ffs,” one supportive tweet reads.

The singer – pictured with husband Blake Shelton – has many supportive fans online (
Image:
NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
“gwen stefani is back to cultural appropriating.. oh this album is gonna EAT,” another fan declared, with a third adding: “The wokes are trying to cancel Gwen Stefani for having dreadlocks in her new video. Newsflash: cultural appropriation doesn’t actually exist. It’s all made up bull****.

Another lengthy defence of Gwen on Twitter reads: “Christ almighty, y’all need to learn what appropriation is. There’s a large difference between homage and appropriation.

“America does not have a long rich cultural heritage like other countries so we honor them. Appropriation would be pretending to be a culture daily.”