Gwen Stefani is hitting back at longstanding claims that through her association with the "Harajuku Girls," a group of Japanese-American women known for their steep sense of style, Stefani has been "appropriating" Japanese street fashion. The "No Doubt," 51, singer fended off criticism in a cover interview with Paper magazine on Wednesday and told the publication that in her estimation, all cultures have inspiration from many outside influences that make it what it is. "We learn from each other, we share from each other, we grow from each other," she said. "And all these rules are just dividing us more and more." The Harajuku Girls – a name that originates from Tokyo's Harajuku district – consists of dancers Maya Chino, Jennifer Kita, Rino Nakasone and Mayuko Kitayama. Stefani has reportedly been appearing with the group since the early days of her solo career in 2004. GWEN STEFANI WEARS 'DON'T SPEAK' DRESS TO CELEBRATE MUSIC VIDEO'S 25TH ANNIVERSARY Gwen Stefani arrives with Harajuku girls at Capital FM studios for Johnny Vaughan's breakfast show (Photo by Jon Furniss/WireImage) (Getty) As one of the obvious fashion capitals of the world, the district itself has even created its own style and fashion brand which sells items centered on the popular Japanese style that includes pops of color and intricate designs. However, Stefani has been called out for profiting off of Japanese culture and comedian Margaret Cho once compared Stefani donning a Japanese schoolgirl uniform with the Harajuku Girls to "blackface." BLAKE SHELTON SAYS HE, GWEN STEFANI HOPE TO MARRY 'THIS SUMMER' "Even though to me, a Japanese schoolgirl uniform is kind of like blackface, I am just in acceptance over it, because something is better than nothing," Cho wrote back in October 2005. "I want to like [the Harajuku Girls], and I want to think they are great, but I am not sure if I can," Cho pressed in her essay. "I mean, racial stereotypes are really cute sometimes, and I don't want to bum everyone out by pointing out the minstrel show. I think it is totally acceptable to enjoy the Harajuku girls, because there are not that many other Asian people out there in the media really, so we have to take whatever we can get." Over the years, Stefani has maintained the position that she is paying homage to the Japanese culture rather than appropriating it for personal or financial gain pressing that she only fell in love with the culture while touring in Japan back in the 1990s.