So I had a very short debate with someone about having Gwen Stefani’s Harajuku Girls being part of some Asian American event. They pretty much said it would be one of the “worst ideas ever.” The reason being, they felt people would just see them as a bunch of sexed-up back up dancers who can’t sing and that both Asian American liberals and conservatives would find them offensive. I wanted to get more into it…but it was not that big of a deal since the show was targeting a family friendly crowd. However, when I leave things open like that…I tend to brood over it and always think of new points….so I’ll leave them here.
Margaret Cho mentioned a long time ago (which I just looked up now) in her blog that she thought that Gwen’s Harajuku girls represented the Asian stereotypes of Japanese school girl fetishes and how Asians are just taking whatever roles they can get.
Frankly, I think both my debater and her are being too Korean for their own good. Koreans and Korean Americans alike tend to be a bit conservative regardless of how liberal they say they are. It’s really not that simple, especially when Harajuku (w/e the technical term is) is a form of expression and something cultural for the Japanese, points neither party makes a reference of understanding towards. While I don’t have first hand experience on the sub-culture or have been in contact with Harajuku people, I understand it as an art form. Gwen’s Harajuku girls are a concept of that and the desire to step out of the ordinary. From a few interviews I watched, Gwen actually went to Japan and was inspired by what she saw. Both girls and guys alike dressed up in goth clothes, kinky french maid outfits, and mismatched candy raver gear and it inspired her.
Almost the whole concept of the album revolved around that and her “back up dancers who can’t sing.” They became characters with personalities in that project and were given the names Love, Baby, Angel, and Music. And get this, they were actually Japanese, not Koreans…who are the other Japanese in Hollywood. It’s just not a “racial stereotype”…it’s an actual lifestyle celebrated by the Japanese. I can understand if Margaret Cho was Japanese and felt the Harajuku fashion lifestyle was being exploited, but she’s not…she’s looking at it from a conservative point of view because they wore school girl outfits…
Both Margaret Cho and my debater said they liked Gwen Stefani, but they can’t get with the Harajuku Girls. I’m not sure what that has to do with anything, but with Margaret, she compliments Gwen’s fashion sense and ability to keep pairs of clothing together. If that’s the case, why frown down upon the Harajuku Girls when they are just an extension of her? In fact, it is Gwen Stefani who is copying the Harajuku Girls in the fashion sense during that album’s reign. Oh, is it because they are wearing school girl outfits and just happen to be Asian while Gwen’s white? Would it have been more acceptable if the Harajuku girls were caucasians? Come one, get with the concept people….
At one point in the debate I had with my friend, I mentioned the Harajuku Girls being no different from the Jabbawoockeez and Fanny Pak(who danced more scandalous than the “sexed up dolls” of Harajuku girls), and he disagreed. What is there to disagree about? They are all made up of dancers who work very hard and get paid very little….but still hope of making money so they can continue to do what they love, which is dance for a living. Whether it’s making a 100 grand on a MTV dance show that’s rigged or paying their dues in the music industry by making lip-synch singers look good, neither should be looked down upon especially when the competition for prime spots is tight. Margaret Cho thought the Harajuku Girls are just another example of how Asians are taking whatever they can get, so if that means beating out other dancers for 1 of 4 spots open on the Harajuku Girl dance crew, then yeah…I guess it’s that simple. What they need to realize is that Harajuku girls are giving all dancers…not just Asians, a look into how “back up dancers” can become part of the spotlight.
Personally, I only enjoyed Gwen’s music when she was fronting No Doubt and that was in high school. I didn’t really know about the Harajuku Girls until I saw one of Rino Naksone’s dance classes on youtube…whom is a very accomplished “back up dancer,” choreographer, and teacher…and that was last year. Through her, I see how hard dancers work and how little pay they get, despite having so much love for what they do. I’ve also understood what the Harajuku concept is about thanks to Anime conventions and white people dressing up like their favorite characters. So, I don’t think they should be considered anything offensive or looked down like a bunch of subservient Asian strippers, especially when there’s nothing really sexual about them in the first place. All the Asian Americans who have and continue to criticize both Gwen and her “back up dancers” need to figure out what they are actually looking at rather than find reasons to be offended. As Asian Americans, we should realize….it’s not always about being an Asian in America, especially when it’s just about art imitating life….or in this case, the Harajuku fashion world.
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