I want you to look at this photograph:
Do you know who that is? Yes, it's Gwen Stefani, the former frontwoman for No Doubt and a goofy pop-culture fixture for the past three decades. All of that is true.
But it's also the face of bravery. True bravery. Bravery so stunning and brave that it will blow your grownup braces right off of your teeth.
Because this week was the week Gwen Stefani finally opened up to all of us, and in an interview with Allure magazine revealed to us her true, authentic self:
"That was my Japanese influence and that was a culture that was so rich with tradition, yet so futuristic [with] so much attention to art and detail and discipline and it was fascinating to me," she said, explaining how her father (who is Italian American) would return with stories of street performers cosplaying as Elvis and stylish women with colorful hair. Then, as an adult, she was able to travel to Harajuku to see them herself. "I said, 'My God, I'm Japanese and I didn't know it.'" As those words seemed to hang in the air between us, she continued, "I am, you know." She then explained that there is "innocence" to her relationship with Japanese culture, referring to herself as a "super fan."
So stunning. So brave. So everything. I can't even right now.
And you know what, in 2023, a woman shouldn't be afraid of coming out as trans-Asian. We're past all that. The future is here.
And yet so many people responded to Gwen's bold declaration not with love and support but with rejection and other-ization:
I am literally shaking right now.
Truth bomb: If Gwen Stefani says she's Japanese, she's Japanese. Full stop. Can't even believe this has to be said but I guess the world is still full of backwards bigots.
