Kendall Jenner is deep in hot waters once again, reports say, after T-shirts from her clothing line with sister Kylie Jenner, Kendall + Kylie, had to be pulled. The sisters' latest attempt to sell something timely faced negative reactions, predominantly from parties who felt disrespected after the use of Notorious B.I.G., Tupac, and Ozzy Osbourne's faces. The shirts, selling for $125 a piece, had superimposed the face of Kendall or Kylie, or a monogram of their initials, "kk", in neon colors over the images of the mentioned artists.
Cultural approprition
Not long after the release of #showbiz sisters Kendall and Kylie's T-shirt collection, which featured the likeness of Notorious B.I.G., Tupac, and Ozzy Osbourne, the internet was awash with criticisms, accusing the Jenners once again of cultural appropriation. Things escalated further when Voletta Wallace, the mother of the late Notorious B.I.G., issued a statement via Instagram to reveal that the sisters did not contact her or any representative from B.I.G.'s estate to ask for permission.
Sharon Osbourne, wife of Ozzy Osbourne, also posted a scalding remark via Twitter: "Girls, you haven’t earned the right to put your face with musical icons. Stick to what you know…lip gloss.”
Tweets from various users also called Kendall and Kylie "insensitive."
Following the negative social media reception, the Jenner sisters have pulled the "Rap vs Rock" T-shirt collection and had issued an apology on their individual Instagram accounts.
Their statement read: "These designs were not well thought out and we deeply apologize to anyone that has been upset and/or offended, especially to the families of the artists."
The Jenner sisters also promised to use the "opportunity" to learn from their mistakes.
Not the first time
This is not the first time that either of the celebrity sisters has been associated with "tone-deaf" ads or cultural appropriation.
Just a few months back, Kendall has been in a Pepsi commercial that sparked outrage because of the alleged appropriation of political and social-justice movements. Pepsi has since taken down the commercial after it had received similarly negative backlash.
Kylie, who is known for her cosmetic line, also had her share of cultural appropriation accusations, including her involvement in a "blackface" ad in 2015.
Kylie has also been dissed for using cornrows and wigs that appropriated black culture.
Following her track record, Kendall, who has been named the new face of Adidas just recently, is yet to prove herself worthy of successful projects.
