The release of her solo album has also brought attention to Stefani's entourage of four Harajuku girls. Named Love, Angel, Music, and Baby respectively by Stefani, the 'harajuku' girls are named for the area around the Harajuku Station of Tokyo, Japan, known as a popular shopping destination and fashion center for teenagers. Following their namesake area, Stefani's harajuku girls are usually flamboyantly dressed (sometimes in a somewhat "Gothic Lolita" style), and they have been featured in her music videos, press coverage, on the album cover for Love. Angel. Music. Baby., and have a song dedicated to them on the album.
However, Stefani's adoption of this component of Japanese culture has drawn criticism from some quarters; for example, Mihi Ahn at Salon.com writes: 'Stefani has taken the idea of Japanese street fashion and turned these women into modern-day geisha, contractually obligated to speak only Japanese in public, even though it's rumored they're just plain old Americans and their English is just fine... she's swallowed a subversive youth culture in Japan and barfed up another image of submissive giggling Asian women'.
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