Samhita at Feministing links to this Salon article criticizing pop star Gwen Stefani for hiring four Asian women to follow her around. The article’s subtitle neatly sums up its point: “Gwen Stefani neuters Japanese street fashion to create spring’s must-have accessory: Giggling geisha!” From the article:
Real harajuku girls are just the funky dressers who hang out in the Japanese shopping district of Harajuku. To the uninitiated, harajuku style can look like what might happen if a 5-year-old girl jacked up on liquor and goofballs decided to become a stylist. Layering is important, as is the mix of seemingly disparate styles and colors. Vintage couture can be mixed with traditional Japanese costumes, thrift-store classics, Lolita-esque flourishes and cyber-punk accessories. In a culture where the dreaded “salary man/woman” office worker is a fate to be avoided for this never-wanna-grow-up generation, harajuku style can look as radical as punk rockers first looked on London’s King Road or how pale-faced Goths silently sweating in their widows weeds look in cheerful sunny suburbs. […]
Stefani fawns over harajuku style in her lyrics, but her appropriation of this subculture makes about as much sense as the Gap selling Anarchy T-shirts; she’s swallowed a subversive youth culture in Japan and barfed up another image of submissive giggling Asian women. While aping a style that’s suppose to be about individuality and personal expression, Stefani ends up being the only one who stands out.
The writer’s critique of Stefani seems pretty on-target. The description of harajuku fashion made me curious, so I googled and found some photo galleries: here, here, here, here, and here. The girls seem to be very creative and having a lot of gothy fun. Even the “sexy” outfits seem more like satire or appropriation than like dressing up to attract boys, and there’s a lot of wit going into the outfits. (There’s also some stuff that’s disturbing – a couple of photos I saw showed girls who had made themselves up to look as if they’d been beat up, or dressed like Nazis, etc..)
Yeah, BritGirl. She’s still run the risk of the Paul Simon Syndrome referred to earlier, but at least then she could say that she wanted wider exposure for other artists. She wouldn’t just look as if she was exploiting them as living statues. Yeesh.
(I have a weakness for Orange Pekoe, too. Their vocalist is great fun to listen to. And I’m somewhat familiar with Monday Michiru, if only because she’s the daughter of one of my all-time favorite jazz artists, the incredible Toshiko Akiyoshi.)
The sad thing is, given the level to which Stefani has dumbed herself down if she was to pick a J-Pop star to collaborate with the ones on her level would all be kids. I think of her as at about the same level as Puffy AmiYumi, which given that they’re teenagers is not a good reflection on Stefani.
Hey Robert I will try not to use any punctuation marks so as not to confuse the easily confused such as yourself, ooops sorry damn comma it’s Stefani not Stephani, oops soory again another comma why did the 3 freaks who know no grammar have to find me. sure is easy to piss you 3 off! Especially you Robert, I actually made you think, a pathetic effort you gave it but still, kudo’s!
This must be my favorite thread so far. I mean… Ginmar and Robert are suddenly, temporarily at least, pals, and then there is vetgirl still lecturing on grammar while using grammar that isn’t that convincing. Is she doing a subtle comedy here, I wonder?
Let’s not forget the secularists with the Apocalypse remarks, btw. Might also be a sign of something like the “Invasion of Body Snatchers” to get Robert and Ginmar on the same side.
You know, dude, if I start using the word ‘manhood’ in my writing, then you know, the martians have landed, the pods have taken me, and the Apocalypse is nigh.
I see vetgirl is still very ably indicating that it wasn’t ‘acting’ stupid that was the problem—it’s that it’s not an act that’s the issue. Jesus. Nothing worse than a fangirl whose idol has been criticized for something truly uncomfortable.
I couldn’t give a shit how stephani’s name is spelled because I have no desire to look it up for anything at all; I sure won’t be buying her music.
You know, when the apocalypse comes it’s going to be very ironic. I bet it’ll be because all the fangirls suddenly wised up about something, en masse, but then reality would implode and we’d only get to enjoy intelligenct conversation for about three seconds or something.
vetgirl:
Entertaining as it is to watch you digging an ever-deeper hole for yourself, I feel compelled to point out that the problem so many posters have with your punctuation is not the fact that you use it but the fact that you misuse it. When posing a question, it is not necessary to use multiple question marks: one per question will suffice. The exclamation mark is similar, but since the definition of an exclamation is more fluid than the definition of a question mark, it should be used sparingly. Terry Pratchett characterised multiple exclamation marks as a sign of a sick mind, something that is always worth bearing in mind in situations like this.
The fact that certain people are actually counting exclamation points and question marks is indeed disturbing, especially when they are used solely to get a point across to obviously thick minds. Now we are talking about an apocalypse? Where the hell did that come from? Does any of this have anything to do with what everyone is posting about? If you had actually read my original post you would have seen that I’m not a Stefani “fangirl”. Now people are quoting others about multiple exclamation marks and the meaning of them. Could anyone please answer what that has to do with Stefani exploiting these women and if they are actually being exploited or they are just a publicity stunt to get people talking, bitching, and moaning to make her album sell more? And just what are all of you punctuation police doing about it. Nothing, but bitching and moaning! Stick to the point or is the level of intelligence so low that the mind can only concentrate on one thing? I have seen mostly intelligent posts on here from people sticking to the subject. As usual a few idiots must get their babbling in, and taking shots at people. Grow up!
As usual a few idiots must get their babbling in, and taking shots at people. Grow up!
Leaves me speechless. Here, hold on a second….
(Wrestles 3×6 mirror out of the closet. Holds it up for vetgirl to look into.)
Comment #95 was one of the funniest things I’ve seen in quite a while.
Hey Jake, who am I taking shots at? In detail? Name someone I’ve taken a shot at for no reason that hasn’t taken shots at me and used their circle of friends to do the same. Why is there no previous post from any of these people on this subject? Have they said anything on the subject? Or have they just busied themselves arguing for no good reason? Please answer
Hey, vetgirl? I posted upthread about the substantive issues. The reason people are mocking you is that you made yourself look like an idiot. I now see that you actually do understand the basic rules of English grammar and punctuation. If you had used them in the first place people wouldn’t be mocking you. Just saying.
The fact that certain people are actually counting exclamation points and question marks is indeed disturbing,
Because they’re counting mine! Correct?????
especially when they are used solely to get a point across to obviously thick minds.
Hah! My Churchillian insults will stun them into silence!
Now we are talking about an apocalypse? Where the hell did that come from?
Translation: Did not lurk at all, but charged in, exclamation points blazing.
Does any of this have anything to do with what everyone is posting about?
It had more to do with your comments, which missed the point by a mile in order to attack people for not taking the same tolerant viewpoint of Stephani’s cynical stunts.
If you had actually read my original post you would have seen that I’m not a Stefani “fangirl”.
Walks like a duck, talks like a duck….Oh, shit, next she’ll complain about…”Why are we talking about ornithology now, huh? What does that have to do with anything? Stay on topic, people!”
Now people are quoting others about multiple exclamation marks and the meaning of them.
No, we’re talking about your misuse of them. Not just any old grammatical errors, but yours.
Could anyone please answer what that has to do with Stefani exploiting these women and if they are actually being exploited or they are just a publicity stunt to get people talking, bitching, and moaning to make her album sell more?
Still trying to slither away from your grammatical and logical lapses, eh? Cute. And since when are ‘exploitation ‘and ‘publicity stunt’ mutually exclusive?
And just what are all of you punctuation police doing about it.
That’s at least the third time in one comment you’ve gotten defensive about it. Plus, it’s cute that you seem to be heading toward ‘Put up or shut up land.’
Nothing, but bitching and moaning! Stick to the point or is the level of intelligence so low that the mind can only concentrate on one thing?
Not your site, sweetums. You don’t get to issue orders here, and don’t bitch about being treated harshly when that’s at least the second insult you’ve used in just one comment.
I have seen mostly intelligent posts on here from people sticking to the subject.
Because of course, your opinion matters.
As usual a few idiots must get their babbling in, and taking shots at people. Grow up!
Love the casual assumption that she’s not among the first group, and the order to do what she herself has yet to accomplish.
Better she should go with eX-girl. Nothing like a few bone-crushing sci-fi-metal chords and weird tales of inflatable bug-eyed alien cartoon beasts landing on Earth to snap the fans out of their reverie. Sort of like Ziggy Stardust, but louder and weirder. :D
But, Alsis, loud and weird might contrast with Bratz-style cutseyness!
Ginmar, where is your supposed intelligent post that is on this whole subject? I have seen many people misspell on here, but I don’t find it necessary to call them out. And yes, when you go after me for no reason, I fight back. Am I supposed to let you question my intelligence? And not fight back? This whole thing is ridiculous to sit and argue over these things that are being brought up. And yes, my original post did give my opinion. It is still a free country, correct? I did not attack anyone until I was attacked first, yes I fight back! Did I originally post on here to argue? No, I did not. Almost everything on here about me, was for what good reason? When I’m dogged for no good reason, I fight back. As most people would. The only insults I put out there was fighting back for myself. Just what is the point on here Ginmar, seeings how you’ve never made a post about it. And take a count of your insults lodged at me. My original post had no insults. Not till they were lodged at me! Please tell me where to find your post on the subject! And Ginmar, one last comment, because I’m sure you’ll post something back with an insult yet once again, get over it, get laid or something! My god man, do you have no life? There, you can unleash all your buddies on me again. And Britgirl, I had meant to say you were the only one that insulted me that had made posts on here before. I never took a holier than thou attitude, just gave my opinion. Never attacked anyone, I don’t feel the need to do so. Just gave my opinion on the subject. And then had to defend myself about multiple question marks, for christs sake! If you feel the need to insult, rather than to accept the fact that other people are allowed to have their own views. Then feel free! If you want to have a war of intelligence then fine, I’ll pull out my 8 years of college, my degree of Veteranarian Medicine. Not to brag about it, just realize you don’t want a war of words, not that I feel you worthy of this Ginmar. Just grow up! And please, if my original post missed the subject by a mile as stated, then be brave show me your original post on the subject! Yes Ginmar, a dare! Could we all get back on the subject?
And yes, when you go after me for no reason, I fight back. Am I supposed to let you question my intelligence?
You have intelligence? Really? Sorry, I failed to see it in all the trolling.
And not fight back? This whole thing is ridiculous to sit and argue over these things that are being brought up.
Translation: Losing.
And yes, my original post did give my opinion. It is still a free country, correct? I did not attack anyone until I was attacked first, yes I fight back! Did I originally post on here to argue?
Um, sweetie? Your original post was idiotic and your followups have been worse. Sure, you can express an opinion. However, when you come stomping onto a blog you’ve ever commented on before, without lurking, and whine and snivel that your widdle pwecious is being maligned, correct???? you have no right to expect people to think you’re more intelligent than you act.
Oh, wait, you have a degree? What do you want? A cookie? Degrees don’t make you intelligent, as your behavior here has aptly demonstrated.
Get laid, get a life?
Oops, I think we have a winner.
Hey, Amp, can you ban this troll?
I’m sorry to start Monday on such a sour note, ginmar. However, if you are implying that Ziggy Stardust is not cute, I’m going to have to ask you to step outside.
Nerf balls at twenty paces. 10 O’clock sharp. Be there.
Hey, bring it on!
My preferred weapon of choice is my handy dandy squirt gun, though. Food coloring at dawn!
Besides, there’s androgynous, edgey cute and then, like I said, there’s Bratz cute.
Whew. That’s better.
http://www.exgirl-kero.com/
When I saw them two years ago, I lost my hearing for about three hours after the show ended.
Hey Ginmar, you touched on every question or comment I’ve ever made, none touting Stefani as an idol, and as I’ve stated I don’t even listen to her, but you never answered my question. Where’s your original post on the subject? As you told me
Sure, you can express an opinion. However, when you come stomping onto a blog you’ve ever commented on before, without lurking, and whine and snivel that your widdle pwecious is being maligned, correct???? you have no right to expect people to think you’re more intelligent than you act.
But you can come stomping in and comment about other peoples comments? Hmm, when did this turn into Ginmar’s universe? Nice how you try to sidestep the question of your I’m guessing invisible original post on the subject. Don’t be afraid Ginmar, just whip it out, even if it was a small post that maybe I missed, size doesn’t matter as I’m sure you’ve heard quite a bit. Come on ginmar, prove me wrong, where is your original post dated before mine? That’s all I’m asking of you.
Well, when it’s not Q Grrl’s universe, the default does go to Ginmar. I thought everybody knew this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But more rightly that’ s just because I outshot her squirt gun with my slingshot (she’s got me beat handily in the intelligence and punctuation categories).
Hey, I have a slingshot, too, baby. Wanna duel?
Oh, christ is it still whining?
God, good to know that college money didn’t go to waste.
Dueling feminist slingshots. I like.
Mine’s really cool. It’s handmade and was a present of a friend.
I find that I’m always more impressed when a person can actually spell the name of their degree correctly.
veterinarian
Also, it’s usually a degree in Veterinary Medicine. Although, maybe I’m wrong and perhaps you are tellling us that you are qualified to give that form of health care specific to veterinarians?
I just assumed she worked at her local VA.
Gin: I don’t, much to my chagrin, actually own a slingshot. Sigh. Much like my attitude towards handguns: I do not own what I would readily use on idiots.
Well, if she does, that explains why I walked into the VA recently for a shoulder injury and got offered a Pap smear instead.
Hey, Q, I can hook you up.
Really?!
I can see the headlines now: Woman in Durham single-handedly dismantles crack houses with slingshot. Details at 11:00.
No, I am not making that up.
I think that ginmar and Q need to start their own post-Glam/post-punk/post-everything band.
Does that mean we’re so post-everything we’re the newest thing on the block?
Hey, I want in on the post-glam/post-punk band, although I would argue that it’s not possible to be post-punk since punk is not dead, merely critically injured by the Blink182s and the Jimmy Eat World’s and other faux-punk obscenities.
Also, if we’re going to duel I suggest paintguns. What’s the point of fighting if we can’t make a mess?
Word of warning to vetgirl. I am a serious Japanese pop-culture junkie, and particularly well versed in the scene Stefani is ripping off. You don’t want to start arguing this with me.
Now that I think about it Orange Range might be better musical partners for Stefani. Alsis, what do you think?
Got a link, BritGirl ? Or do I not want one ?
Can we get special paintguns that only shoot enviro-friendly veggie paints ? I have my hippie rep to protect, doncha’ know…
…punk is not dead, merely critically injured by the Blink182s and the Jimmy Eat World’s…
How dare you! How dare you call Jimmy Eat World or Blink182 punk! Hell, I’d deal with you calling Green Day “elevator musak punk,” but, but, but….. Jimmy Eat World? Damn, Stefani’s crappy, bland solo albumen is more punk than Jimmy Eat World could ever be. And the crappy and bland solo albumen isn’t close to punk.
Well, I never.
Who ARE these people ? You kids and your weird music, I swear…
http://www.aikoshimada.com/
Jake, of course Jimmy Eat World isn’t punk, thus the use of the term “faux-punk”. It’s a hideous travesty of everything punk was about which is being marketed as “punk”. I had thought that would be obvious to anyone smart enough to post on Alas. Your slowness on the uptake distresses me. Did you forget how to read?
Alsis, you don’t want to know, trust me. If you get the AZN channel you can see them in all their dubious glory on the J-Pop chart show. I guarantee that it will be a painful experience, especially when they try to speak in faux-gansta rap voices.
PS For Jake, notice the word “faux” above and spare me the lecture about rap.
It’s obvious that I’ve forgotten how to read. But sometimes that allows me my righteous indignation. It’s also obvious that I’ve forgotten how to get the proper sarcastic tone into my writing. Such is the world.
Obviously, Jake, you need to use more punctuation in your writing!!!!!!!
See? Ever so much better.
No cable for me, BritGirl. I’d just spend all my time watching the cooking channel and the cuddly puppies ‘n kitties channel. And I already waste enough time as it is. :/
BTW, I know nothing about the artists at Happiness Records, but when you scroll along the options menu, the little bluebird in the upper left hand corner bobs its head and such. How can that be wrong ??????!!!!!!
http://www.happiness-records.com/frame_artist.html
“Can we get special paintguns that only shoot enviro-friendly veggie paints ? ”
Um, but those are called slingshots!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
One slingshot + slightly rotting apples = One painfully good time.
why make a big deal out of all of this ??? it’s pointless !!! its not as if she’ll see this and go oh dear ill have to send them away . i dont think the harajuki girls will care as they are probs gettin paid loads anyways n if they wanted 2 leave THEY WOULD , so bck off u bunch of ive got nothin betta 2 do than write paragraph upon paragraph of bull****
So, have we officially established now that you could gather two dozen Gwen Stefani-worshippers in one room and still not be able to rustle up more than half a dozen brain cells, all told ?
I think half a dozen is being pretty damn generous, Alsis.
But look at the bright side: they’ll use up all the excessive punctuation and cliches that would otherwise be deployed elsewhere in the world.
Good lord. I haven’t seen that kind of grammatical idiocy since Season Six Buffy and Spike and so forth. Fangirls attack!
As a frequent writer of fashion and music trends,to delve into the whole sex, subservience and society is giving Gwen much to much credit than she deserves. The youths of harajuku are the pinnacle of the fashion food chain with all trends expanding from there. Instead of wearing the golden eggs she chose instead to leash the goose and drag it around with her in the hopes of gaining hipster cred by association. For example, why wear (or even try to understand) Lagerfeld when you can just pay him to follow you around all day. For the .001% of us who are aware of this stunt, its pretty insipid, for the 99.9% of the mtv watching american public she’s ‘cutting-edge’, a ‘fashion icon’ ‘has her finger on the ‘pulse of whats hot’. Buying the Cliff Notes is not the same as reading the book.
As far as the girls of Harajuku and their sexual mores/outlooks go, you’d probably have to ask each one indvidually. Their just a group of fashionable kids, not a race of like minded robots. All with their own individual opinions of sex and society, not any different than American kids. To quickly write this ‘movement’ off as a return to the Geisha or subserviance belies any understanding of the subculture itself.
Just my 2 yen.
Thank you for basically ignoring anything anyone intelligent said on this post.
After watching the video, it seems to me that she’s also trying to ride the lesbian chic pop vibe. … unless the Harajuku girls are running their hands over her crotch for other reasons?
I meant I get offended when rappers use girls as human accesories because they make them look like total skanks. Gwen just makes look like dolls. I watch the video several times and I don not see girls hands on her crotch. After the “Cool” video she stopped with the Harajuku obsession. And yes I am aware what I said was MONTHS ago, and please don’t take what I said too personally. I like the rappers, just not their versions of “Harajuku girls”.
WHATEVER! Gwen loves her harajuku girls and just cause there not WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO BE don’t start getting mean bout Gwen !
I am the allmighty GOD and you will do what i say!
WHATEVER!
Terrific detailed rebuttal. Bravo.
Gwen loves her harajuku girls and just cause there
Their, you twit. not WHAT YOU WANT THEM TO BE don’t start getting mean bout Gwen !
Caps do not serve as a substitute for logic. Also, the word is ‘about’. Also, ‘what you want them to be’ is not a concept referring to anything stated in the thread.
I am the allmighty GOD and you will do what i say!
I am almighty bored with twits who cannot spell or use correct grammar. Please familiarize yourself with your shift key and spell/grammar check function.
OMG!!! I think it is very unique of Gwen and these girls (love,angel,music,baby) are getting discovered and they probably love it. think Gwen is doing nothing wrong.
Well It’s not a big deal, I don’t really mind but havn’t big rap stars been using girls as accessories in their video clips for ages????? No one complains about that! Even though the women in those video clips are wearing much less and are doing sexy moves!!! The worlds gone nuts!!!
Dear Hannah;
Get a clue. People have in fact been complaining about rap videos for ages. However, if you’re okay with it, I guess we can all relax because the world waits for your opinions.
Christ, are the Stefani fans idiots? “I dun care and I think it’s okay!!1”
The rap video thing could be not so much “there’s no problem with it because rappers do it too” as “this is just more of the same old thing and I’m suffering from outrage overload already”. Still not great, but not quite as clueless.
“Christ, are the Stefani fans idiots? “I dun care and I think it’s okay!!1″³ ”
It pretty much seems that way, doesn’t it?
I am almighty bored with twits who cannot spell or use correct grammar. Please familiarize yourself with your shift key and spell/grammar check function.
The problem that I have with the song “harajuku girls” is that its so vague. I lived in Japan for just a couple of months (I’m not claiming to an expert), and after spending just a little time in Harajuku, one notices that there are several different styles (which are frequently blended together). There are several hip-hop fashion stores, punk stores, goth stores, gothic lolita stores, and even some nearby department stores. The term “Harajuku girls” implies that there is some sort of “Harajuku fashion,” which is far from true. Harajuku represents several varieties of fashion.
After returning to America, I have been asked several times, “what is a Harajuku girl?” Its really annoying what this song has done, because a lot of Gwen’s fans don’t even know what Harajuku is (I wonder if they even know that it is a place).
I didn’t know so many people would be offended by Gwen Stefani, unfortunately, including her own fans. I personally believe it’s her own way of expressing her immense interest in the culture (people are allowed to do that, and just because she’s famous and exceedingly rich doesn’t mean she’s doing it for more fans; people can be human every now and then). Sort of like the saying ‘Imitation is another form of flattery’. If the people here are allowed to bash her about her Harajuku girls and whatnot, the girls of Harajuku can easily say the same about the people in this blog. Not too many people in this blog are technically from Harajuku (or are even japanese to begin with) but I’m sure plenty of japs think the ‘otakus’ of America (and around the world) look like jap wannabees. I used to have a biased opinion on the whole US otaku scene because I found it offensive to myself and the japanese culture (I used to believe the majority of the otaku population was retarded, making up asinine japanese names, and trying to speak to me in what I considered ‘my’ language at the few conventions I’ve attended) but I learned to accept and realize it’s basically everyone’s form of appreciation of our culture. And the same goes for Gwen Stefani for me. I believe she appreciates the culture as much as the majority of you. It’s immature to say that she knows nothing about Harajuku considering the fact that none of you were ‘Harajuku professionals’ before you posted in this blog. Just because you’re a crazy Harajuku fan doesn’t mean you’re superior to the other fans, including Gwen Stefani. I honestly don’t believe there’s a reason why so many of you should be (or have a right to be) offended to begin with considering the fact that 95% of the people who posted aren’t japanese or have set foot in Japan to begin with. This is just a personal (and most likely biased) opinion, but an opinion nonetheless.
For those of you who don’t have the attention span of a gold fish, thanks for reading this opinion on the subject (which most of you immaturely forgot and started ranting on about punctuation and other digressive material).
~Wakako~
Move over Britney and Bit-Bit. It seems the latest accessory for a pop princess is four life-sized, dressable, nameable humans. Don’t get me wrong, i love Stefani’s music, I just think it’s sad that her entourage must be adolescants from a non-english speaking sub-culture that has nothing to do with being a ‘Rich Girl.’ She has sucussfully, albeit unintentionally, deconstructed the femeninity of half the population of a SHOPPING district. I myself am guilty of assuming that all Harajuku girls are the same as the one’s in Stefani’s possession, simply because that was the first i had heard of them. of course, it works both ways. Sadly it is the western arrogancy that makes us think we ‘own’ easterners. i have heard people make coments about how much easterners look up to us, and not just because of the height difference. But ask yourself this: will a high profile Japanese pop star pay four Americans to follow him or her around? NOT LIKELY!!!!!!!!!!!
Gwen stefani is not exploiting the harajuku girls. You know, they do have a mind of their own. Did y’all ever stop to think that maybe they wanted to be her backround dancers? They didn’t have to. Also, gwen stefani is expressing herself through her lyrics and her asian influened music. If y’all would take the time to listen to her songs you would know that she’s talking about her life and not just the harajuku girls and she’s not stuck up. And yes i am gwen stefani fan. Fuck all the haters.
get a life u dont know gwen and uve nevr met her like me. u dont understand. gwen rocks NxD rocks harajuku girls rock.
fuck u u hater
oh and by the way my best friend is half japanese, her mom is from japan, and ive been to japan so i think i know what im talking about when i say u need a life and Gwen is just showing that she loves japanese fashion and culture as do i
Is there a way to lock this thread?
Not until at least one person has gone over to Happiness Records and tried out that dancing bird thing I mentioned earlier. [taps foot.]
I’ve tried it. It’s cute. Now can we…
Hey, wait a minute! You’re not Amp – how can you dictate the terms like that?
I’m queen of fucking everything today. My horoscope said so. :p
Do we have to lock this thread? I think this thread – along with the Harry Potter thread, and the wedding gowns for sale thread – are hilarious. They’re like transplanted violets from a far-away continent, mysteriously flourishing in “Alas” soil.
Take if from an amateur gardener, Amp. You only want to grow American violets (Viola Sorroria), unless you love spraying fungicide everywhere. The Euro varieties get this nasty gall on them like you wouldn’t believe…
I love these threads. The wedding dress and Harry Potter threads both rock, but this one is by far my favorite of the lot – mainly because I have no fucking clue who Gwen Stefani even *is,* and therefore find the “fuck u u dont no gwen like i no gwen omg die u h8terz!” comments weirdly hilarious.
wow whata fuzz, about………….. NOTHINg, is funny 2 see what people got to say, about someone they dont know, and have theire opinion already made up, while they do not even KNOw the person, situation.. etc.
i have been to harajuku last oktober, and its fascinatiing to see the subculture.
what Gwen is doing, is her own buisness, if i dont like it, i dont have to listen to her music or watch her video’s.
life is way too short to get all fuzzed up about.
so to see all thos detailed explenation about why or how, or what, makes me laugh hahaha. some people only can be negative about others9strangers they dont even know)
too those people i say .. GET A LIFE
at least i am happy that of all my friends NO one is complaning about such trivial thing as what GWEN is doin, such kinda people dont get into my friends list, waste of time.
greets and respect from amsterdam
Wuld ever1 hoo is verE sadd the cannot B freindz with Edgur please join me iN crying in the CORNER in 1 our ?!!??????!?!!!???
Coffee and donuts will B served. Anything 2 ease my soul.
alisis, I might need Bailey’s with my donughts. “Leetspeak” (if that’s what it’s called) has always given me a headache. I think it has something to do with it going against everything I learned about English grammar and spelling in twenty years of school. ;) I’ll join you in the corner now.
Did you say coffee?
::sobs obligingly::
I slightly agree with Edgar, there. It must be nice in Harajuku. I barely started reading these blogs and got interested in the small debate.
Harajuku girls….ah. Yes. Well. Their style is more or less their own personality. It is not a fashion STATEMENT nor trying to attract men. Stop me if I’m wrong but I’ve been researching for a little while about street fashion. It’s very interesting and quite frankly, I adore it. But back to the subject, Harajuku fashion, or, Street Fashion is a fashion in which the people, mainly girls, feel most comfortable. They find their fashion to be self satisfactory. Perhaps, they enjoy that people NOTICE them more just to be noticed and to feel a sense of worth to look at or perhaps, most likely, girls who wear Lolita clothing, which is in most cases, brings back a sort of past…a fantacism for them. Putting them in a world of indifference, they feel most comfortable.
If anything, I support the fashion and I do very much hope that I can visit some time in my life.
Back on track. Gwen Stefani lives in the US. Just like everyone else, she has the right to express herself. The japanese ladies in the background who are, quote-unquote, “mute”. They are paid ladies. Paid as in paid a lot to be in a VIDEO. Now, if they weren’t paid to be “mute”, you people would have valid reasons to complain about racism, womanizing, whatever.
Now. There is an old saying…. “If you point your finger at someone, you point three right back at you.” Sound familiar? It should.
I just have a question for you. Why complain about four-five asian women in a video who had been PAID, mind you, to be there in the first place. Why complain and accuse racism? Americans are made fun of in Europe and every where else just the same. It’s all about Balance.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s good for you to protect races and keep the peace but don’t forget. You’re not so innocent either, right?
Oh my god. It still lives.
You mean, the stupidity? Christ. I’m especially fond of the rhetorical brilliance of, “fuck u u hater.’ Yep, that’ll show us.
I love it how the point eludes each and every one of them. If it were an arrow, they’d be bleeding.
Oh, I gave up actually trying to dialogue with them months ago: their brains must run on a closed network or something where no new information can be allowed in. Sort of like those Star Trek NG-&-after episodes where the crew would encounter an individual that had been assimilated by the Borg and would try to engage it in conversation & attempt to make it understand reason.
Ha !! It was fated that the Gwen Legion would return. Now I have an excuse to get all hyper because Ayuo has a brand-new CD ! Aparently, part of it adapts an 11th-Century Noh play that in turn was adapted from a chapter in Murasaki’s Tale of Genji.
Like wheels of a cart
Forever turning
Are birth and death in all living things;
Six Worlds and Four Births
You must journey;
Strive as you will, there is no escape.
What folly to be blind
To the fraility of life.
Like a banana stalk without a core.
Like a bubble on the water!
Flowers of yestrerday
Are but a dream today.
How sad my fate! — Zeami. Translation by Gen’ichi Tsuge.
Ayuo did such an amazing job with Izutsu in merging operatic/theatrical elements with world music, and this sounds like it will be just as ambitious. (Red Moon was also good, but had more of a pop-world music-hippie vibe to it.)
This baby’s gonna’ be mine soon. Screw buying groceries. Hell with my utility bills ! :p
What I want to know is how they even find the thread.
Is there some cyber trail out there, like day old snail slime on a hot brick wall, that leads them inevitably here?
Pass me the salt someone.
Y’all check out this. It’s a post on a weblog about Lisp, the programming language, and various other technical things. The comments on that post got taken over by people looking for support about speech impediments. Also check out this post, which takes the comicality to even greater heights. (The owner even put an ad on the page to pay for all the hits it was getting.) This thread is pathetic in comparison.
The discussion in the second post even bleeds over into the post next to it, which is on a completely different topic.
Alsis, your tastes intimidate me: I was just listening to some Ramones and thinking I was way cool.
It can’t be a full moon yet, but not only has this thread been resurrected, but I see the Wedding Dress one has as well. What’s brought out the loonies?
Alsis….thanks for your post….you know what kind of traditional Japanese theatre I like.
NELSON looks around. He’s the only one in an audience of folding chairs).Anybody field this one… Anyone at all…
(NELSON tentatively raises his hand) Ah yes, you sir; and you enjoyKabuki theater?
NELSON: Uh, actually I prefer Noh theater.CROW: Well, then, why did you raise your hand?
NELSON: Because I like Noh theater. Noh plays are my favorite.
SERVO: So you don’t like any theater at all?
NELSON: No, let me explain. Noh theater is classic Japanese drama. Noh plays have been produced since the 13th century, and Noh actors are revered even today.
CROW: Why are you dissing Japanese theater? What’s your deal, man?
NELSON: No, wait a minute! Noh theater started in Japan…
SERVO: Oh, so now you tell us Japan doesn’t have any theater whatsoever?
NELSON: They have lots of theater, including Noh theater!
CROW: So they have lots of theater and they have no theater?
NELSON: Exactly!
SERVO: No theater?
CROW: What?
NELSON: Yes!
BOTS: WHAT?!
NELSON: Noh theater!!!! N…O….H!!!!
SERVO: N-O-H, huh? There you just go and show what an idiot you are!
CROW: I’ll handle this, Tom, calm down! Mike: I’m going to ask you a series of simple questions which even a cretin like you could answer yes or no.
Now, is there theater in Japan?
NELSON: Yes.
CROW: Good, and do you have a particular favorite type of Japanese theater?
NELSON: Yes.
CROW: Well, good, now we’re getting somewhere! Mike: will you tell me the name of your favorite form of Japanese theater?
NELSON: Noh!
CROW: Why not?
NELSON: Why not what?!
CROW: Why won’t you tell me your favorite Japanese theater?
NELSON
I just did.
CROW
Did what?!
NELSON (spits out each word): Told you my favorite form of Japanese theater!
CROW: You did?
NELSON: Yes!!!
CROW: Well, will you tell me again?
NELSON: Yes! NOH!
SERVO: Oh, come on!
CROW: Mike, I’m going to grab a step ladder so you can jump up my butt!
From an MST3K archive…
Hey, Crys, you shouldn’t be intimidated. I bet Ayuo loves the Ramones, and probably Gruff Rhys, too. From reading his home page, you can tell he’s very into that multikulti thing…
I blame fluoridated water. ;)
Great, tooth decay or brain decay? Tough choice.
Hm, I must then check this all out! I’m in a bit of a musical rut now–well, a rut in general. Maybe something different will cheer me up.
I’m SO unimpressed by Gwennie MISPRONOUNCING the Japanese word for “Cute” at the beginning of her video…
Seems if you loved a Culture of Cute you’d learn to SAY it.
NOT “KU*wa*ii”
“KA*wa*ii”
Difficult? No one stood up and TOLD the blonde?
OR (gasp), perhaps their were no REAL Japanese around…?
That comment might go over better, Koy, if you could tell the difference between ‘their’ and ‘there’, not to mention the BLONDE bit.
Takes cricket bat and swings it at this thread, a la Shaun of the Dead.
i think it’s admirable that they aren’t judged for how they dress…for this non-comformist style…they are trend-setters..that it’s a shure thing!!!
Sorry but i think most of u are really sad. So Gwen stefani has tried to go for a new look and styled herself around the popular new craze of harajuku. AND WHAT shes only trying to boost her career and shes making the fashion more well known, is there a real problem in that? some of you have said that its offensive that she has the harajuku girls with her in her videos as ”submissive” asian woman, and that if she was a man there would be ”uproar”. I’m sorry but in videos such as holla back girl they hardly act like her accessories or submissive and they’re wearing american street clothes which look just as slutty as the harajuku clothes they and gwen wear, she also acts like friends with them and they dont seem so submissive when they’re shouting along with gwen in the videos!!! and offcourse they’re gonna look submisssive compared to gwen because shes the singer and its her videos!!
also men in ‘american’ music videos are always seen with a haareem of girls with them whatever nationality, and look more like their slaves than the harajuku girls look like in gwens videos, and has there bee uproar about them no….
also the fact that proberbly very few of u are asian and are getting offended is quite weird as the comments ive read from asian ppl dont seem to be really bothered by it and neither do my asian friends so stop trying to be so rightous and overally involved. your just middle class liberals who decide to get bothered by something that has very little to do with you and have a mardy about it just sit back and relax and get botherd about stuff thats either effecting you, your family and friends or your culture directly!!!!
This seems as good a time as many to state that I just finished a two-week temp gig in which Gwennie’s bubblegum was wafting gently through the air at least twice a day. I can honestly say that I’d rather be dipped in corn syrup and tied to a hill of fire ants than be subjected to it ever again. To claim, as Crys T and others did above, that her main audience is teenagers is a grave disservice to the average teenager, at least some of whom must possess IQ’s greater than that of a secondhand pleather ottoman.
Once again, however, I commend her ever-vigilant posse of not-quite-ready-for-literacy players who keep bumping this thread, thus giving me yet one more chance to treat Gwennie-poo with all the respect she deserves. Which would be none, basically. Her music is over-produced, inch-deep crap. Her voice sounds like cyclamates escaped from a toxic time capsule, and she operates from some black hole that is clearly stunting the intellectual growth of her legions of fans;None of whom appear to have actually read the thread before rushing breathlessly to the defense of their born-again barbie doll idol. “Ur” computers need to be taken away, pronto, Gwenfans, and given to somebody more deserving. A roomful of monkeys hard at work on their Shakespeare impersonations, for instance…
actually i’ve got the IQ of 129, and im a Gwen fan, and onto my litaracy…i use text talk on blogs and forums because its faster and most people can still understand it so u can take your ”Ur” and, pardon my french, shove it where the sun don’t shine ^^
Congratulations. Hurry on back to those oh-so-cozy spaces where “ur” magnificent genius and stunning taste in/for bubblegum can be properly appreciated, cal. Because I can assure you that it’s not appreciated here.
I’m not interested in how fast you can type. I’m interested in how well you can understand a thread that’s nearly two hundred posts long without just sounding like yet one more bleakly generic jackass who has utterly failed to comprehend the original point of the thread. So far, you’ve pretty much failed on both counts, and you communicate in a style better suited to MySpace and Blackberries than to interesting discourse.
Nonetheless, my hat is off to you. Gwennie’s offerings are clearly perfect for you, and vice versa. Nighty-night.
isn’t that you going of the subject of how gwen uses the idea of harajuku girls and that she has them in her videos? u seem to be talking about your opinion of her music and then go onto offending her fans…
isn’t this a thread of differnt opinions on the subject matter? so surely my contribution is just as valid and accepted by people as yours?
and please don’t call me ”cal” the ”lum” is at the end for a reason.
I think the gwen fans are probably not idiots (evidence to the contrary admitted), but 14-year-olds. After all, on the internet, nobody knows if “your” a dog or a vet, and who else would state their IQ in public as evidence of intelligence?
14-year-olds, naturally. Which makes me feel slightly bad about the abuse.
This is one of my favorite all-time threads though.
BLAH HAHAHAH !!! Oh, the irony.
But– but–, if I shortn ur nam, i can tipe much fastr, Clum-chum.
(At any rate, people who responded to my posts back when I was still going by the “alsis” + the number of my age monicker usually dropped the number from the end of the name. I didn’t get too worked up about it. But, hey, I can appreciate the irony of you demanding respect while you fail to understand how Stefani’s use of Asian imagery is pretty damn disrespectful. She hires Asian women to dance attendence on her, renames them, and forbids them to speak. Nothing disrespectful about that, I suppose. Some of the links available through the link on post #15 go into great detail about this. I find it pretty distasteful, in addition to just being cheap gilding on a woman who strikes me as all style and no substance. She should just abandon the artiste pretenses and her pitiful, ugly line of overpriced fashions and head directly for her probable future career in Vegas lounges, where stuff like treating other races as exotic pets probably won’t raise an eyebrow.)
As fr th rson ur opinz r not much apresh, perhaps it has sumthng 2 do w ur ASSershuns nd insults such as:
Don’t pretend that you came here to make nicey-nice, since it’s clear that you didn’t. Also, I’ll be redundant and point out once more that your own views are at this point redundant. They were previously voiced –and roundly rebuked– by others on the thread.
Gawd, you know I’d just about give my right kidney to be middle class. I mean, really.
$$$
I can’t pay you cash. Would you settle for a nice dish of lemon-custard spongecake ? Oh, and how about a bowl of homemade lentil soup ? You get two homemade snacks for the price of one organ. Nobody can top that deal !!
Yeah, the hilarity of calllum’s whining that Gwenniekins’ critics can be dismissed for being middle-class liberals is duly noticed. Who are all the people buying up her music, shooting her luxurious Hollywood videos, hawking her shitty looking fashions, etc. Shit. At ninety bucks a sweatshirt, I’m pretty sure that her target audience isn’t made up of starving graduate students doing Chomsky dissertations, elderly conservative church ladies and sleep-deprived single moms working double shifts at Denny’s. Yeesh.
S-p-o-n-g-e-c-a-k-e.
*drool*