Pepsi's most recent advertisement, "Live For Now Moments Anthem," featuring Kendall Jenner, has received a lot of negative feedback from the media as well as the American population. Within 24 hours of Pepsi posting the ad, Pepsi removed the ad and issued an apology. Although Pepsi definitely missed the mark when it came to this advertisement, I can see where they were going with it.
The advertisement features protestors (of all backgrounds, colors and walks of life) taking to the streets and protesting for peace. While thousands upon thousands of people are marching in the streets, a blonde wig-clad Kendall Jenner is modeling at a photo shoot. As the chants for peace get louder and more distracting, Jenner finds herself torn between completing her modeling shoot and joining the protestors.
When a young man walks by and gestures for Jenner to join them, Jenner rips off her blonde wig and wipes off her dark lipstick to join the crowd. As Jenner walks through the lively group, she is positively greeted by all the protestors. As she approaches the police line, she grabs a "nice, cold Pepsi," hands it to a cop and as he takes a sip, she returns back to the protest side and the crowd goes wild.
The issue with this ad is that Pepsi is attempting to monopolize on the political and socio-economic zeitgeist of our time. Thousands of people, across the nation, have participated in protests in the past year, with the majority of them ending in police brutality and violence against the crowds. Pepsi is trying to make "protesting lit" by having a pop culture icon as the main protagonist, a model that would never attend a protest. I have nothing against Kendall Jenner but the fact is that Jenner has never and will never be politically active like the protesters featured in the ad. Jenner has never made a statement condemning police brutality nor has she ever been an advocate for a social cause.
Perpetuating the idea that a can of Pepsi can represent "peace" is highly offensive to not only current activists but the past and late social activists such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Pepsi is downplaying the trials and obstacles that social activists face and have faced on a daily basis. The issue is not that Pepsi created an ad that calls upon social issues, the issue is that Pepsi went about it the wrong way. A can of Pepsi cannot protect protestors and activists from violence and police brutality. A can of Pepsi can never bring back the lives of those that put their own lives on the line for social change.
