Gwen Stefani's Malaysian Cover-Up
Gwen Stefani doesn't want Malaysia to think she's a real bad girl.
To placate a conservative Muslim student group that is protesting her upcoming appearance in Kuala Lumpur, the pop star has said she won't wear any revealing costumes when she takes the stage Aug. 21 at Putra Indoor Stadium, according to the show's sponsor.
Stefani "will abide by the Malaysian authorities' guidelines to ensure that her show will not be offensive to local sensitivities," mobile phone company Maxis Communications said in a statement Thursday.
The National Union of Malaysian Muslim Students objected to Stefani's saucy attire and bombshell image, calling the video clips promoting the red-lipped platinum blonde's concert "too obscene."
The group's president, Mohamad Hilmi Ramli, threatened earlier this week to ask the authorities to intervene if Maxis didn't cancel the show, one of Stefani's stops on her ongoing Sweet Escape world tour.
"Maxis Communications respects the values and conventions of this country," Rozalita Abdul Rahman, Maxis' general manager of media, research and events, told Sydney's Daily Telegraph. "Whether it concerns the singer's attire or the security for the concert, we will abide by the rules and guidelines and assure that nothing will go wrong.
"All foreign artistes need to understand our culture, and at the same time, as for Malaysians, we also need to have an open mind on such matters," Rahman added. Ethnic Malay Muslims make up about 60 percent of the Southeast Asian nation's population, with Christians, Buddhist and Hindus constituting sizable minorities.
In light of the recent to-do, Malaysia's Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry said that officers will be on hand to enforce the country's code of cultural ethics—a female artist must be covered from the top of her chest to her knees; no jumping, shouting, hugging or kissing onstage; no clothing depicting offensive messages or images (drugs, sex, etc.); and no throwing things at the audience.
According to the Telegraph, authorities fined a music promoter $3,200 last year for putting on a Pussycat Dolls concert that, wouldn't you know, was deemed too racy.
So, no lingerie or smutty T-shirts for the Hollaback Girl.
Stefani just played a few dates in Sydney and is due to perform in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, before moving on to the Asian leg of her tour, which starts with an Aug. 11 stop in Toyko. The O.C. native will touch down in the States briefly at the end of the month for two shows in Honolulu, then head off to Europe.
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