Gwen Stefani's 'I'm Japanese' comments spark conversation on appropriation vs. appreciation

There's nothing wrong with that until you pick it up and put it down like a costume. Britannica defines cultural appropriation as something that, "takes place when members of a majority group adopt cultural elements of a minority group in an exploitative, disrespectful, or stereotypical way."

In the context of Stefani, not only did she decide she was Japanese, she profited from stereotypical aspects of the culture without giving proper credit. When appreciating someone else's culture, it requires a thorough understanding of the culture itself and the practices of that culture. If there's an understanding of why things take place in a culture, then you're less likely to do something offensive to that culture.

While Stefani is facing backlash for her comments, it has opened the door for discourse around cultural appropriation and it seems some are still struggling to understand. Twitter user Sachiko Ishikawa brings up the prevalence of some white people thinking what Stefani said was OK while the Asian diaspora is saying how harmful it was.

Even in the article, Calaor called out Stefani's problematic response and how being Asian in America right now can be a frightening experience. Calaor pointed out the racial slurs and the fear of elders being attacked and killed, none of which Stefani has to worry about since her identity as Japanese is a choice.

The singer proclaims in the interview, when talking about her identifying with Latinx communities, "The music, the way the girls wore their makeup, the clothes they wore, that was my identity. 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?"

It seems that Stefani wasn't intending to be hurtful during the interview but she also didn't make any corrections when Allure attempted to clarify. So while appreciation was likely the goal, appropriation is what occurred.

Appreciation of culture is being respectful of your approach by educating yourself. If you're doing something that the culture you're borrowing from is made fun of or discriminated against for, then it's not appreciation. When members of the culture someone is borrowing from say something is appropriation, they're not sowing division. They're asking to be respected.

So while the Allure interview sparked a renewed interest in conversations about cultural appropriation versus appreciation, it's up to us to continue learning so the same missteps don't continue to happen.