The outrage brigade has set its sights on Kendall Jenner for the “cultural appropriation” of tequila. No longer culture-agnostic, even the world of alcoholic beverages has become flooded by wokeness.
The outrage brigade has set its sights on Kendall Jenner for the “cultural appropriation” of tequila. No longer culture-agnostic, even the world of alcoholic beverages has become flooded by wokeness.
No stranger to controversy, Jenner previously courted the mob’s ire when she starred in a protest-themed Pepsi ad in which protesters and police got together over the soft drink.
This week, Jenner announced the launch of her own tequila brand, 818 tequila, name after the Calabasas, CA area code. In a post on Instagram, Jenner said that her brand of tequila had already won eight awards, including best reposado at the World Tequila Awards.
While Jenner herself may not necessarily be the mastermind behind the drink’s mixture, the act of lending her celebrity to the brand’s launch has provoked outrage among social justice warriors, who are presumably not upset over her promotion of an alcoholic drink, but over the fact that Jenner is not a Mexican.
“After dozens of blind taste tests, trips to our distillery, entering into world tasting competitions anonymously and WINNING … ? years later I think we’ve done it,” Jenner wrote. “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!”
Her announcement enraged a variety of outspoken culture warriors on social media, with many condemning her for allegedly stealing Mexican culture by having the audacity to launch a new brand of tequila.
Outraged social media users accused her of “cultural appropriation” and even of profiting from Mexican tradition of brewing the fermented beverage, which originates from the annals of the once-extant Aztec empire, which ruled over much of Central America with an iron fist, only to be taken down by a few scrappy Spaniards and their native allies, tired of millennia of oppression.
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...
— LaMesaQueMasApluada (@estyledesma)
Jenner was also accused of “gentrification.”
“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,” wrote one user.
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.
— Jennie Molina (@jenjocelyn)
Gentrification? Give me a break. The existence of 818 tequila isn’t going to stop anyone from supporting local, family-owned brands – not that I’d know anything that isn’t Patron. While I’m no tequila connoisseur, I know a bottle of Gran Patron doesn’t come cheap.
Such outrage only goes in one direction, however – as few, if any, have expressed any outrage over Japan’s adoption of single malt Scotch whisky. It’s only bad when white people perform “cultural appropriation” apparently. But much like Hibiki and Hakushu, 818 tequila is welcome to have a place in my bar.
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