Kendall Jenner’s 818 Tequila – Cultural Appropriation?

Ever since the launch of Kendall Jenner’s 818 Tequila, the “woke” internet has been going h.a.m, accusing Jenner of cultural appropriation. The accusations have directly accused Jenner of cultural appropriation for her 818 Tequila video ads, where she is seen as one user put it, in a “chic migrant worker look” riding a horse through an agave farm in Jalisco, Mexico and wearing braided pigtails while enjoying the tequila with native farmers.

Since then, there has been heated internet debate, whethere or not this is cultural appropriation or rather whether or not one should be “offended” from the images in the ad. With comments like, “Mexican should be honored be her ‘appropriating’ their clulture.”

The problem is well beyond “cultural appropriation” – I think the problem is that most people don’t even know what cultural appropriation means, and the effects it has on a community and culture. So, the internet is filled with trivial arguments about feelings being hurt, instead of raising real social issues and actually addressing them. Am I Mexican? Yes. Am I offended by the ad? No, in fact it’w beautiful, and well produced. But it does irritate me, AND it is 100% CULTURAL APPROPRIATION.

What is Cultural Appropriation?

Let’ look at Cultural Appropriation and what it is. We’ll start by breaking it down, “appropriation” the action of taking something for one’s own use, typically without the owner’s permission. “Cultural Appropriation” the adoption (taking something) of an element or elements of one culture or identity, by members of another culture or identity.

So, yes, the 818 Tequila ad is guilty of cultural appropriation. It is a clear appropriation of images of tradition and place of authenticity, used for their own benefit. THEIR own benefit, and not the community or culture it’s from.

Many are arguing, “where was this energy when Dwayne Johnson or other celebrities start their own tequila? Other celebrities who came out with their own tequila/mezcal didn’t receive such backlash. Maybe it’s in the marketing – or how they named them different than a California area code… a more traditional approach honoring the culture. Well, it’s still appropriation, appropriation of “authenticity and quality” for their own benefit.

Benefiting off of the Images of Tradition and Culture is the Problem

Why is this so important? Well, I see too many comments of this sort, “I’m Mexican and I don’t care… I’m not offended” That’s wack, you should care. Why? Because it’s appropriation and benefiting off of someone else’s lifelong traditions and culture.

Why is this topic so crucial to the Mezcal and agave spirits? It is for the mezcalero families and communities. There are powerful connections to the land of their ancestors – their traditions are a way to remember experiences, memories, and an expression of identity – a Mexican identity. An amazing documentary that debuts this Summer 2021, is Sons of Mezcal. “Sons of Mezcal transports you into this living history, as it follows four families passing its traditions to the next generation.”

Some say they are creating jobs

Now before you get into the whole “it’s creating jobs” and all that, hold on. What we see here, is a problem that dates back over 200 years, when the industrialization and commercialization of mezcal and tequila really begins. Frankly, this happens in many industries and situations, when the greater good is outweighed by self-interest.

We begin to see small farmers and producers who are pushed out of business, unable to meet demand and shortages in agave supply. Celebrities also create premium prices for their brands where in almost all cases, the farmers who actually produce the raw materials hardly receive any premium. Once again, the benefit going into the pockets of the celebrities and big brands, using (appropriating) images of tradition, culture and authenticity for their self-benefit.

So how can we solve cultural appropriation, can we?.

The best way is education – industry professionals, marketers, and those with a voice should educate the consumer about what’s behind different products and brands. As consumers, we can do our research and not let ourselves be led by fancy marketing and popularity efforts. By simply looking up the different mezcaleros names on the bottles, we can find other batches of mezcal they’re making to support those local efforts.

That’s why I like websites like mezcalreviews.com because they have a HUGE variety of Agave Spirit brands – with detailed descriptions like who the mezcalero is, background information on the brand, and if and when the brand has been sold to large corporate spirit retailers. Also, distributors like Old Town Tequila, a website that helps get your hands on hard-to-find bottles and varieties.

Do you want to take it a step further? Look for programs that follow a community-supported agriculture model which allows consumers to invest in agave plantations where the capital is invested directly in the agricultural sector impacting hundreds of lives in the local community. I’ve personally done this with Maguey Token and have personally had a wonderful eye-opening experience.

And last, invest in yourself. Whether you’re an aficionado, or spirits professional. I enrolled in the Agave Spirits Institute program. This is a 4 level certification program, dedicated to professionals and enthusiasts from anywhere in the world. ASI offers practical and theoretical information necessary to understand the process from a wild-harvested plant to the final Agave Spirit. I have personally achieved the title of Mezcal Sommelier at the time of this post and will head back to Oaxaca for the in-person Oaxaca immersion program with my fellow ASI alumni.

I’m excited about this entire journey I’ve embarked on and even more excited to continue to share the knowledge I’m acquiring about the different agave spirits.