Kendall Jenner Faces Cultural Appropriation Accusations Over Tequila Ad

Kendall Jenner has been criticized for cultural appropriation over a tequila commercial in which she is seen working on an agave plantation.

In February, the 25-year-old model debuted her tequila brand, 818, in her home state of California. Since then, WWD said the brand has received several awards, including the World Tequila Awards' best Reposado Tequila.

Jenner shared a few photographs and a video shot at an agave farm in Jalisco, Mexico, on Instagram as part of the campaign.

"What an incredible experience I have had thus far, learning about this beautiful place, it's [sic] 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!!!" the model wrote in her Instagram post.

Jenner is seen working with the agave farmers in a casual outfit consisting of shorts, a cowboy hat, a tank top, and a loose cotton shirt in the video and photos released.

Immediately, there was a deluge of derogatory posts and tweets. Many critics have since accused the runway model of manipulating prejudices associated with Mexican farmers because of her wardrobe and the scenes shown in the photos.

Many people on Twitter criticized the model for being tone-deaf.

"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," one netizen wrote.

Another netizen mentioned several excuses why people shouldn't help Jenner's tequila brand in a series of tweets.

In one of the tweets, the netizen asked the people in the United States not to drink Kendall Jenner's tequila because what she's doing is known as Cultural Appropriation, which means she's taking something and calling it her own.

"Listen to us Mexicans when we tell you that this is wrong. is [sic] our culture and we don't want a white woman profiting from our culture," the netizen said in one of the tweets.

Meanwhile, others pointed out that many Hollywood celebrities – such as George Clooney and Dwayne Johnson – have launched their own tequila brands without facing any criticism.

"I get why Kendal shouldn’t own a tequila & I'm for it BUT why don't y'all have that same energy with every celebrity who owns a tequila that isn't Mexican ????" one of them said.

Jenner previously faced criticism when she first launched her brand three months ago. Many people immediately pointed out that the model was engaging in cultural appropriation.

"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...," one of the criticisms read.