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No Doubt - Looking Hot by jimihubabua
No Doubt has yanked their new video that features Gwen Stefani, uh, "going Native."
Stefani plays the role of an "Indian Princess" in a music video that's a throwback to old old Westerns. We managed to find a copy of the controversial video "Looking Hot," and we embedded it above (though we can't promise how long it will stay up).
The cowboy and Indian theme didn't play too well in 2012, and the band reportedly got complaints from Native Americans. We're sure the criticisms sounded something like this:
No Doubt released a statement apologizing for the video:
As a multi-racial band our foundation is built upon both diversity and consideration for other cultures. Our intention with our new video was never to offend, hurt or trivialize Native American people, their culture or their history. Although we consulted with Native American friends and Native American studies experts at the University of California, we realize now that we have offended people. This is of great concern to us and we are removing the video immediately. The music that inspired us when we started the band, and the community of friends, family, and fans that surrounds us was built upon respect, unity and inclusiveness. We sincerely apologize to the Native American community and anyone else offended by this video. Being hurtful to anyone is simply not who we are.
We can't say we're shocked since Stefani, in particular, has a long history of appropriating other cultures. She relied on the so-called "chola" look early in her career, and she made bindis fashionable for white girls in the 90's. The ickiest example was just a few years back when she hired four Japanese women to shadow her while she was promoting her solo album a few years back. Margaret Cho called it a "minstrel show."
