Kendall Jenner is under fire as people accuse her of ‘cultural appropriation’ after launching her own tequila brand.
This week, Kardashian sister Kendall Jenner launched her own tequila brand called 818 Tequila, a project that she revealed she’s been working on for almost four years.
It initially got a great reaction from fans, but things have now turned sour. The model has been accused of ‘cultural appropriation’ and is getting a lot of backlash on social media.
Here’s all the drama explained…
Kendall Jenner just launched her own tequila brand
On Tuesday, Kendall Jenner took to Instagram to share something very exciting with her 152 million followers.
The 25-year-old has created her own tequila brand called 818, and everyone will be able to get their hands on it very soon.
“For almost 4 years I’ve been on a journey to create the best-tasting tequila. After dozens of blind taste tests, trips to our distillery, entering into world tasting competitions anonymously and WINNING, 3.5 years later I think we’ve done it!” she said.
“This is all we’ve been drinking for the last year and I can’t wait for everyone else to get their hands on this to enjoy it as much as we do.”
She then revealed the official @drink818 Instagram which gave fans a little more info about the tequila.
It’s hand-crafted in Jalisco, Mexico, and it’s the location that’s landed her in hot water.
Now she’s being accused of ‘cultural appropriation’
An overwhelming number of Latin and Mexican people are giving the tequila brand backlash and accusing Kendall of ‘cultural appropriation’ on Twitter.
People are criticising Kendall for profiting off of local Mexican artisans when she has no knowledge of Mexican culture.
Also, the name “818” has been criticised as the brand is named after her Calabasas area code which has nothing to do with Mexico at all.
Someone wrote on Twitter: “Kendall Jenner starting a tequila brand, with zero knowledge on Mexican culture and calling it ‘818 tequila’ is GENTRIFICATION. The 818 does not claim Calabasas. What about those smaller, family owned Mexican tequila/mezcal brands? They deserve the hype & support.”
“Something about Kendall Jenner making tequila rubs me the wrong way..like the idea of white celebrities taking from local Mexican artisans and profiting off our traditions and agricultural business yet only visit Cabos and Puerto Vallarta for vacation spots,”
However others noticed that other celebrities, like Dwayne Johnson and George Clooney have also launched their own tequila brands but did not receive the same backlash, therefore deeming the controversy unfair.
The Daily Mail reports that 818 Tequila is currently undergoing an advertising rebrand after original images showed Kendall in a field with a number of Mexican farmers.