Gwen Stefani was born on October 3, 1969, in Fullerton, California, and raised in Anaheim, California. Her father is of Italian descent, and her mother is of English, Irish, Scottish, German, and Norwegian ancestry. Her mother, Patti, worked as an accountant before becoming a homemaker. Stefani has referred to herself as a "super fan" of Japanese culture and has visited Harajuku as an adult. In an interview with Allure magazine, she claimed, "Im Japanese," which generated widespread backlash online. However, Stefani is of Irish and Italian descent and was born and raised in California.