My mom always said I was the peacemaker in the family. My older brother, Eric, was the leader, the creative one. I was just his puppet.

Stefani contrasts two childhood roles within her family: the “peacemaker,” who smooths conflict and adapts to others, and the “leader/creative one,” embodied by her older brother Eric. Calling herself his “puppet” suggests she felt strongly influenced—perhaps even directed—by his tastes and decisions, especially in early creative life. The quote frames identity as something negotiated inside family dynamics: one sibling sets the tone, another learns to accommodate. It also hints at a later arc of self-definition, since acknowledging past pliability can underscore the significance of eventually claiming independent artistic agency.