American TV star and supermodel Kendall Jenner came under fire for her latest advertisement. The 25-year-old has been accused of cultural appropriation over her tequila brand campaign.
In the pictures shared by Jenner, feature her promoting the beverage at an agave farm in Jalisco, Mexico, where it is being produced.
She captioned it as, "what an incredible experience i have had thus far, learning about this beautiful place, it’s beautiful culture, and the beautiful people! @drink818 has launched in California... we will be rolling out to the rest of the US all summer long, keep a look out!!!"
Kendall received flak on social media for using the Mexican heritage to garner profits. Not to mention, her avatar has also been called out for stereotyping locals.
A Twitter user shared an extensive thread stating, “It is a huge misconception of the Mexican culture. No miss Kendall, we do not ride in horses all the time, no we do not wear our hair in braids all the time, no workers do not get to drink the tequila (also that’s not the way you drink it) +workers do not work with that kind of clothes and finally, your advertisement is so whitewashed/California vibes. Jalisco is not California, so don’t try to make it that way. As a Mexican, I’m begging y’all that live in the US to DO not consume Kendall Jenner’s tequila because what she’s doing is called Cultural Appropriation making it hers. Listen to us Mexicans when we tell you that this is wrong. Is our culture and we don’t want a white woman profiting from our culture.”
“@KendallJenner muted comments on her pictures from Jalisco because she wants to silence the voices of those telling her that it’s cultural appropriation,” added another.
However, there were also those who defended the supermodel suggesting that other celebs have also invested in the same business.
One user wrote, “Not a huge fan of Kendall but, Nick Jonas, Dwayne Johnson, Rita Ora, and Adam Levine have also made & continue to make tequila & no has seems to have a problem with that. P Diddy and Jay Z aren’t Russian & makes millions off of vodka. Y’all just like to pick & chose.”
This isn’t the first time Kendall has received backlash for an advertisement.
In 2017, Pepsi pulled down its commercial depicting Jenner leaving a modeling shoot to join a protest march after criticism that it was insensitive.
The commercial, showed Jenner yanking off a blonde wig to reveal her dark mane and wiping off her makeup before joining the protesters.
She hands a can of Pepsi to one of the police officers standing guard, which makes him smile. The marchers then turn joyous.
People took to social media to say it mocked protests against police violence.
