Over the last few days, Bella Hadid has posted seven photos of herself in Tokyo on an Instagram account called @rebekkaharajuku. Each snap includes a caption about her Japanese alter ego ‘Rebekka’ hanging with friends, shopping and having fun around the city - in one photo she even poses with an unnamed Japanese man in a uniform, one hand placed on his shoulder almost as if he could be a prop in a fashion shoot. The account already has over 25,000 followers.
Some people are not happy about the account. In criticism that might be familiar to old-school fans of Gwen Stefani, some have raised the fact that what Bella is doing could be considered cultural appropriation. One photo features her best friend Fanny Bourdette-Donon who she refers to as ‘Jenny Nogizaka’ and she is pictured holding chopsticks. In another she holds a peace sign pose and a blank expression.
One comment on the Rebekka Harajuku Instagram simply reads ‘cultural appropriation’ and another, ‘racist piece of sh*t’. People have taken to Twitter to call out ‘Rebekka’ as well. Bella's sister Gigi was criticised last year for mocking Chinese people, having been caught on camera squinting her eyes to mimic a statue of a Chinese man.
Many have pointed out before why the appropriation of Japanese culture and subcultures is problematic; Asian-American actress Margaret Cho has been a vocal critic of Gwen Stefani for years. In Gwen’s Harajuku phase, she hired four Japanese women to be her ‘Harajuku Girls’ and backup dancers. The four women were only allowed to speak Japanese in public, and went by the names Love, Angel, Music and Baby as chosen by Gwen. This behaviour – along with the birth of Bella Hadid’s Japanese alter ego – has been criticised for reinforcing stereotypes, tokenising Japanese women, and failing to educate people about the reality of Japanese culture.
Avril Lavigne and Katy Perry have both also faced public backlash after parodying Japanese culture. Avril because of the music video for her song Hello Kitty, and Katy after dressing as a geisha to perform at the 2013 VMAs.
It seems that Bella’s alt account has been abandoned for now. Rebekka may return, but it is likely Bella Hadid would face more intense criticism if the account is revived. In a few years’ time ‘Rebekka Harajuku’ may only be remembered like Gwen Stefani’s Harajuku girls, as past ignorance that is best forgotten.
Follow Sophie on Twitter @sophlynne
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.