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Gwen Stefani appropriating the chola aesthetic in the past



Gwen Stefani

Gwen Stefani's been ripping them off basically forever. It's the "chola look," a Mexican-American female aesthetic that's now being appropriated by celebrities. Think white sleeveless undershirts, Dickies pants with suspenders, thinly plucked eyebrows, maroon lips with a lot of liner, big Aquanet-enabled bangs, and a general "don't mess with me" vibe.
Gwen Stefani is perhaps the poser Chola-in-chief. In her music video for “Luxurious” she wore chanclas and shirts with old English lettering. Even La Virgen de Guadalupe makes an appearance. Gwen Stefani, whose 2004 Luxurious video places her as the only (blonde, glimmering) white chola at a Mexican American barbecue, reflecting her upbringing in the majority-Latino city of Anaheim, California. “I love other cultures, but I was most influenced where I grew up in Anaheim, two hours from the Mexico border. The girls in class would use a safety pin to separate their three-week-old mascara. It was amazing.”
Earlier in the year, the singer-fashion designer also gave props to her chola influencers, telling WWD that “Chola girls … had unbelievable makeup” and she was "mesmerized" while watching them use their cosmetics in class.
We're happy that Stefani, who has long been criticized of appropriating Latina and Japanese culture, is recognizing where her beauty look comes from.
“Gwen Stefani made waves with her video for "Luxurious," which had her dressed up as a chola out of Westside Anaheim down to the eyeliner and flannel. Stefani told the press she got the inspiration for the fashion from a chola named Mercedes back when she was a student at Loara High School. Okay...but what was Mercedes' last name? Who did she roll with? Did she end up dropping out of high school, or did she grow out of it. Most importantly: did Gwen ever track her down and kick over a couple of thou in royalties for stealing her bit?”
The Orange County-bred star’s other major makeup influence? “Chola girls…[they] had unbelievable makeup,” she said. “I grew up in Anaheim, [a] super heavy Hispanic [population] you know…I would daydream and watch [the girls] in class putting their makeup on, as people do when they’re in class, and just be like, mesmerized.”




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