Why Kendall Jenner faces backlash for the tequila brand

Kendall Jenner announced her latest business venture on Tuesday with an Instagram post explaining her process for creating “the tastiest tequila.” But after posting the first images of the product named 818 after the area code for her hometown of Calabasas, Calif., Netizens began to criticize the 25-year-old, calling her “gentrification.”

Lucas Assis, a Los Angeles-based Brazilian bartender who has experience in the tequila industry from his wife’s family in Mexico, tells Yahoo Life he was “disappointed but not surprised” when he got wind of Jenner’s brand new.

“There was just a lack of respect for the culture and importance of tequila in Mexico. She didn’t even know how to properly drink tequila,” he says of Jenner’s announcement message. “For a foreigner to say that in just four years and without any prior knowledge of the mind, she was able to make the tastiest tequila is disrespectful.”

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Assis posted a video on her social media explaining her position that Jenner’s 818 mark is in fact an example of cultural appropriation.

In it, he draws attention to a number of pain points that countless people across the Latinx community have spoken about, including Jenner who tasted badly tequila with ice cubes in her cup, did not label bottles in Spanish and even suggested that four years was all it took to create what she says is “the tastiest tequila,” when agave – a plant that tequila originates from – takes the double that time to mature. All of this shows that people who infiltrate the industry, like Jenner, overlook the cultural importance of the agricultural product, says Assis.

“The plant is steeped in the country’s history and culture. Celebrities need to understand the detrimental effect their brands can have on the tequila industry but especially on agave farming,” he explains. -he. “Using the culture and history of Mexico for nothing other than capital gain is cultural appropriation. Not to mention the fact that the small family-owned distilleries, which have been doing this for generations, are struggling to keep up with soaring agave prices, due to farmers simply cannot keep up with demand. “

He continues, “Agaves take eight to nine years to fully mature, so now we’re seeing mega distilleries harvesting them as young as three to four years old and using diffusers and chemicals to extract the sugars, essentially altering the whole body. process and the mind itself. , just to meet the demand created by big brands and celebrity tequilas. “

While many spoke of taking advantage of workers in Jalisco, Mexico, others discussed the issue of Jenner calling the 818 mark to appeal to the largely Latin population of the San Fernando Valley.

Still, some people have pointed out that Jenner seems to face more backlash for appropriating Mexican culture than several other celebrities who have pushed their own brands of tequila in the past – namely white male celebrities.

“Maybe there is a certain sexism on the part of some people who see a successful young woman launching a brand of tequila,” says Assis. But while the general public might not have been keen to hold George Clooney and Nick Jonas accountable for their tequila businesses, Assis did.

“I called celebrity tequilas in previous videos, before the 818 announcement,” he explains. “I called Elon Musk and his Tesla tequila, Casamigos [by Clooney] and even the Dos Hombres mezcal from Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul. “

Regarding the Jenner brand in particular, Assis suggests that “few have the level of influence that it has,” which could add to the attention – both positive and negative – it receives. “If you want authentic, female-owned and operated tequila, look for ‘La Gritona.’ It’s amazing, a small batch and owned women, ”he said.

While arguing that “all celebrity tequila” should be avoided in favor of supporting Mexican brands, Assis says there’s a good way to get involved in the industry.

“Don’t use other people’s culture and history for anything other than capital gain. Respect the culture, don’t pretend to know what it means, don’t claim it your own, ”he says. “There are many ways to get involved in the industry and not exploit it.”

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