Another day, another cultural appropriation by the Kardashian-Jenners. In the latest scandal from the clan, Kendall proves that all we need to solve police brutality, is a refreshing can of Pepsi. Not to mention, a Pepsi from a white, rich, supermodel, who has been largely unaffected by the policies people are protesting. One might go as far to say that she hasn’t really participated in the movement at all. Gasp.
We get it. Protesting is cool. It’s what defines the millennial generation and activism hasn’t been this popular since the 60s. The problem is, people don’t protest to be cool, they protest to make change. By utilizing protesting, marginalized people and police brutality as the background of a commercial to sell soda, it mocks all the work that’s been done to progress society.
The problem is not Kendall, though. The problem is much larger than Kendall and can be attributed back to the lack of transparency with regards to these movements, the fact that blackness sells and of course, capitalism. After all, had it not been for capitalism, do we really think a major brand would be able to profit off of a dark time in our lives? Capitalism pushes brands to find creative ways to market to people, and often, that includes appropriation of all sorts.
The outrage that Kendall has gotten is completely appropriate. As the white female savior that she is, Kendall puts a supermodel twist on the famous Leshia Evans’ image, and solves police brutality by giving an attractive cop a Pepsi, while the crowd subsequently cheers; let’s just completely white-wash the struggle so that we can all forget how difficult these times are for people of color. Brands gravitate towards authenticity, but with an ad like this, it’s safe to say there’s a disconnect between how brands communicate it.
I’m sure the intention was not to create a commercial that would cause so much backlash, but it begs the question, who was a part of this creative team, and what were they thinking?
The Kardashian-Jenners aren’t strangers to cultural appropriation; the clan has reached their level of fame because of their constant appropriation of black culture and people. Kylie, Kim, and Khloe have all been seen rocking cornrows and altered their figures to reflect those most akin to black women’s, while simultaneously fetishizing black men and paying no recognition to the people and cultures that influenced them. They have built an empire based on their black features and fanaticization, as the white women they are.
I always hoped that Kendall would be different. She seemed to be more woke to me because she posted about the election, proclaims herself as a feminist, and seemingly, hasn’t subjected herself to plastic surgeries to attain the same “look” as her controversial sisters. But with the release of this commercial, it makes me think that all of her posts, are really to construct a fake persona that she’s connected the most with, to gain popularity and make money. Capitalism. There it goes again.
What effect will this public outcry really have on the Kardashian-Jenner brand, and what does this say about society as a whole?
In a world of Fake News, I think many people will view this differently. There are countless publications I’ve come across that vilify the commercial, while others note that a public outcry is happening and try to make sense of it. While this commercial is clearly in bad taste, it has brought to the mainstream once again, the famous image of Leshia Evans, and is causing people to think about why protesting is so important, and to remind them about the existence of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Thankfully, the commercial was pulled, and this says a lot about the power of people on the internet. What will be interesting to pay attention to next is what effect this has on the Kardashian-Jenner brand. Pepsi apologized to Kendall, even though she is 21-years-old and has her own agency, and this will surely have many people question the authenticity of their coveted brand (if they haven’t already). Capitalism drives people to do almost anything, but with the world at our fingertips, cultural appropriators might want to think twice before making a mockery of an entire movement.
