Kendall Jenner’s new tequila brand has sparked another debate on where to draw the line on “cultural appropriation.”
Kendall Jenner recently launched her new liquor business, 818, which serves hand-crafted tequila from Mexico. However, she faced negative reactions from the public regarding how this brand is culturally appropriating Mexican culture.
As she posted a picture of herself and Mexican farmers on an agave farm in Jalisco, Mexico last May 17, 2021, people replied protests to boycott her brand.
For these people, there are other more deserving women-owned businesses that do not culturally appropriate Mexican culture to buy from.
She captioned, “What an incredible experience I have had thus far, learning about this beautiful place, its beautiful culture, and the beautiful people!”
In a video she posted on the same image carousel, Jenner seems to have gotten to know the process of making tequila.
While this is business standard, the issue lies in how she “whitewashes the craft of tequila production”. People protested over her seemingly obvious exploitation of local farmers just for marketing purposes as well as her trying to look Mexican while she is white.
Many have expressed disdain over how Jenner modelled that “chic migrant worker look” using a Mexican outfit and a sombrero. For them, there are other ways to market 818.
However, according to 818’s website, Jenner and the people behind the brand have worked with other family-owned businesses in tequila manufacturing. In fact, they do what they can to avoid cultural appropriation by learning the cultures and traditions of the business they are getting themselves into, as well as including people – local experts, specifically – in the creation process.
This controversial ad campaign divided people. Some believe that she culturally appropriated Mexican culture, especially the tequila-making process, while others don’t.
Additionally, there are other celebrities who had put up their own tequila businesses like George Clooney, Dwayne Johnson, and LeBron James.
They did not face any backlash like this. Some point out that this is because Jenner is a woman so she is susceptible to much more scrutiny than the men.
How about you? Do you think that Kendall Jenner and her tequila brand 818 are wrong to the point of cultural appropriation? (EFO)
Tags: #KendallJenner, #tequila, #Mexico, #culturalappropriation