Kendall Jenner Accused Of Cultural Appropriation After Tequila Brand Promo Release

Tequila is one of Mexico’s most iconic alcoholic beverage along with mezcal and pulque. This amazing liquor has so much story and tradition behind it which is why it has won the hearts of many people around the world. For it to be called tequila, it must be produced in Mexico, specifically in or near Jalisco, as it has an appellation of origin, just like French wines. Being so popular around the world, many artists have invested in tequila companies, going to the extent of purchasing barrels of tequila and just selling it with their own branding.

Supermodel and reality star, Kendall Jenner, wasn’t the exception and she is now facing backlash after releasing a promo video on social media for her own tequila brand ‘818’. The name refers to the code area of Calabasas, CA, although it’s originally the code that covers the San Fernando Valley.

Instagram: drink818

On the infamous video, uploaded on her social media account, you can see Kendall walking through an agave field in Jalisco wearing a “Mexican-like” style, alongside local workers. It’s not a surprise that many of her followers and people on social media started commenting about how she was milking off Mexican culture. 

Instagram: Kendall Jenner

Although the Kardashian-Jenner sisters have historically made a career profitting from cultural appropriation, these attitudes have no room in today’s world. In 2019, Kim Kardashian had to change her brand’s name to “Skims” after receiving backlash from Japanese fans. Her shapewear line was originally called Kimono. Besides that, Kim has been called out for doing blackface not once but several times in the past.

They know that by doing this, it will bring free promotion and people are going to react to these kind of marketing targeted campaigns.

Instagram: Kendall JennerSometimes it just takes one post on the internet to be targeted, and now Kendall, probably knowing this was coming, decided to disable comments on her recent post. Despite being one of the many artists that own a tequila brand, her particular way of creating the brand is being slaughtered by the public.

Meanwhile, some people are just happy that names as big as Kendall Jenner are investing and generating jobs during this difficult time for Mexico’s economy but where we can draw the line between helping and appropriating?

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