The Keeping Up With The Kardashians stars are no strangers to cultural appropriation scandals, but Kendall Jenner probably wasn't expecting that type of backlash when releasing her first commercial for her 818 Tequila brand. Kendall is currently under fire over her seemingly "tone-deaf" tequila ad.
The KUWTK fans were excited for Kendall Jenner after she unveiled her first solo business venture, 818 Tequila, earlier this year. In a series of photos, the supermodel shared highlights of how she worked to develop her new alcohol brand and the awards it had already received. Since her brand's Instagram debut, the reality star has teased the brand in photos with help from her famous family. To promote the brand's official launch, the runway model already had the look needed to pull off an official ad campaign. But to top things off, Kendall headed down to Jalisco, Mexico for the shoot.
Kendall Jenner took to Instagram to share a group of Instagram photos (seen below) and a video highlighting aspects of 818 Tequila's development process. "What an incredible experience I have had thus far, learning about this beautiful place, its beautiful culture, and the beautiful people," she captioned the post before promoting her new business. "@drink818 has launched in California... we will be rolling out to the rest of the US all summer long, keep a look out," Kendall added. But it didn't take too long for the fashion model to disable the comments after she was blasted for posting the "tone-deaf" ad.
The photos showed Kendall Jenner sporting jeans, a cowboy hat, and a loose cotton shirt over a tank top. Some photos showed Mexican workers in agave fields, while others showed Kendall riding horseback or sitting on the back of a pickup truck. “YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME,” one critic tweeted, as seen below. “Leave it to Kendall to be as tone-deaf as possible, this is so offensive. Modeling that chic migrant worker look for her tequila brand, watch her cry and say she didn’t know later on for the 100th time.”
Another user blasted the whole family for their countless criticisms of cultural appropriation. "It upsets me because all they do is steal other cultures creativity and make it their own just for money," they said. Another user opted to boycott Kendall's tequila altogether. “Me as a Mexican, im begging yall 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," they tweeted. Many of her fans defended her ad saying that there are other celebrities who own tequila brands and aren't Mexican, and yet don't receive the same backlash for their ads. It looks like the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star has just chosen to tune out the criticism for now.
Source: Kendall Jenner, ESNYstylessa