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Kendall Jenner Cries Over Pepsi Advert Controversy

By Chidirim Ndeche
03 October 2017   |   8:54 am
Supermodel Kendall Jenner tried to follow the footsteps of Hollywood icons like Beyonce, Michael Jackson and Britney Spears when she got a Pepsi endorsement. However, it all went horribly wrong in April when backlash erupted over the commercial and Pepsi had to take down the advertisement and issue a public apology. In the ad, Jenner…

Supermodel Kendall Jenner tried to follow the footsteps of Hollywood icons like Beyonce, Michael Jackson and Britney Spears when she got a Pepsi endorsement. However, it all went horribly wrong in April when backlash erupted over the commercial and Pepsi had to take down the advertisement and issue a public apology.

In the ad, Jenner was seen leaving a photo shoot to join what resembled a growing protest in the street. On her way out, she took off her blonde wig and tossed it to a Black woman. She eventually gave a can of Pepsi to a police officer, prompting a round of cheers.

This was done at a time when America had protests about the injustices against people of colour, especially at the hands of law enforcement. It was accused of commercialising political protests and trivialising the tensions between minorities and law enforcement in America.

Jenner remained silent until now when, in the premiere video for the 10th season of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, she expressed her feelings to her sister Kim Kardashian about the controversial commercial with teary eyes:

“It’s a huge company. Michael Jackson’s done it. Britney Spears has done it. Beyoncé has done it. Pink … I trusted everyone. I trusted the teams. But after I saw the reaction and I read what people had to say about it, I most definitely saw what went wrong.
I feel really bad that anyone that anyone was ever offended … This was taken such a wrong way. … I have no idea how I’m gonna bounce back from it.
I would never purposely hurt someone ever. … If I knew this was gonna be the outcome I would have never done something like this. It was so like, I just felt so f–king stupid.”

Kendall also stated that the scandal was very depressing and her sister Kim advised her to be real and honest about it and see it as an opportunity to grow. She said nothing about why the advertisement was offensive.

Should Kendall have only emphasised on how sad she was by this thwarted opportunity or should she have made it about the people who were rightfully offended? When such serious accusations are levied against you, you need to find a way to say something about it. This is the time for Jenner to speak up.

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