When Stefani released a new single in 2014, media publications again criticized the Harajuku Girls as Stefani's act of cultural appropriation. Eliana Dockterman from "Time" commented on the release of Stefani's comeback single "Baby Don't Lie" (2014), remarking that she must apologize for her "Harajuku Girls" era before fans should begin embracing her new music. She found the dancers in the troupe represented "some extremely racist stereotypes", comparing the usage of the dancers to puppetry. Regarding the backlash she received from the dancers, Stefani responded: "I get a little defensive when people it culture appropriation, because if we didn't allow each other to share our cultures, what would we be?" She reflected that "when ["Harajuku Girls"] first came out, I think people understood that it was an artistic and literal bow down to a culture that I was a superfan of"; Stefani also stated she was "horrif" that critics had claimed she referred to her dancers as "not real people". When asked if she regretted her use of the Harajuku Girls, Stefani responded: