<p class="drop-cap"><keyword id="11894125" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="tiktok" source="Orion">TikTok</keyword> has a complicated and controversial relationship with Black content creators. The app has been criticized for having a racist algorithm, for shadowbanning Black creators, and not appreciating the Black origins of many of its popular trends. </p><p>But allegations of discrimination and unfair treatment aren't new for the Chinese-owned and operated social platform - culminating in <a href="https://www.insider.com/black-tiktok-boycott-megan-thee-stallions-thot-shit-2021-6">boycotts by popular, Black users</a> that continue to this day.</p><p>Across the app, artists and activists have demanded TikTok improve the experience from Black artists and creators, as well as entrepreneurs and entertainers looking to monetize their massive followings.</p><p>Non-Black TikTok creators have been notorious for co-opting the content of their Black counterparts - known as cultural appropriation.</p><p>As defined by Maisha Z. Johnson, the phenomenon refers to a "power dynamic in which members of a dominant <keyword id="11899151" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="culture" source="Orion">culture</keyword> take elements from a culture of people who have been systematically oppressed by that dominant group."</p><h2>Black creators say TikTok makes cultural appropriation profitable</h2><p>George Lee, who amassed a following of more than 1.5 million on TikTok, <a href="https://twitter.com/theconsciouslee/status/1376587129015386116">made a series of videos</a> describing the differences between cultural appropriation and appreciation. </p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-Conscious Lee  (@TheConsciousLee) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1376587129015386116?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 29, 2021</a></blockquote><p>"The difference ... is the question of whom progresses and profits the most," George Lee, known as <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@theconsciouslee?lang=en">@TheConsciousLee</a> on TikTok, told Insider. "When the cultural product is detached from the cultural producers, we get cultural appropriation."</p><p>TikTok's most followed user, 17-year-old Charli D'Amelio, offered a notorious example of the financial impact cultural appropriation can have after performing the "renegade dance" on the app.</p><p>The video went viral soon after, with the influencer even more notoriety despite the creator of the dance craze being then 14-year-old, Jalaiah Harmon  - who is Black.</p><p>D'Amelio now has a net worth of $8 million (an $4 million estimated from TikTok alone) whereas Harmon sits at roughly $70,000.</p><p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2020/08/06/tiktoks-highest-earning-stars-teen-queens-addison-rae-and-charli-damelio-rule/?sh=3f68ba095087">Forbes</a> estimates that TikTok's highest-earners - none of whom are Black - have net worths between $1.2 and 5 million.</p><div type="image" title="addison rae the tonight show" height="1061" width="1417" msid="85526324" hostid="261"></div><p>Addison Rae - who herself <a href="https://www.insider.com/jimmy-fallon-addison-rae-tiktok-dance-black-creators-2021-3">faced controversy for performing dances made popular by Black creators</a> during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon - sits at the top of the Forbes list with an estimated net worth of $5 million.</p><p>Behind her in second and third, respectively, are D'Amelio and sister Dixie D'Amelio - who has an estimated net worth of $2.9 million.</p><p>The list excludes celebrities whose fame is not attributed to TikTok, including notable Black public figures Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Jason Derulo.</p><p>"You have an app that is entirely dependent on what Black people bring," Ziggy Tyler, 23-year-old TikTok creator told Insider. "These big creators have careers because they take our dances and make <keyword id="11918408" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="money" source="Orion">money</keyword>."</p><p>In contrast, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-influencer-earnings-for-views-compared-to-youtube-creator-fund-2020-8?r=tiktok-creators-lp">an Insider investigation</a> found that Black creators are sometimes only making "a few dollars a day after posting videos that generated tens of thousands of views."</p><h2>Users say TikTok doesn't go far enough to combat racial inequity</h2><div type="image" title="Black influencer selfie social media" height="2746" width="3661" msid="85526325" hostid="261"></div>A TikTok spokesperson told <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/give-credit-where-it-s-due-tiktoker-speaks-out-about-n1272287">NBC News</a> that "diverse and inspiring voices" are what make the platform unique while claiming to care "deeply about the experience of Black creators."<p>But the app also denied allegations of moderating content based on race. </p>Related Article Module: While white influencers 'blackfish' to build buzz, Black creatives say co-opting their culture is costly<p>In response to the criticism the platform limits Black users, TikTok in July last year launched a Creator Diversity Collective that serves as a liaison/board to communicate experiences of creators with app employees. </p><p>The platform announced in a <a href="https://newsroom.tiktok.com/en-us/progress-report-how-were-supporting-black-communities-and-promoting-diversity-and-inclusion">press release</a> that it taken steps toward transparency with company recommendations on its "For You Page." TikTok had also created a profile that focuses on the Juneteenth holiday, and donated approximately $4 million to nonprofits that support racial equality.  </p><p>However, many TikTokers argue that the app does not go far enough to prioritize the safety and monetary gain of Black content creators.</p><blockquote class="pullquote-wrapper"><q class="pullquote-quotation">Black cultural products are highly valued, but we are not valued as cultural producers.</q> <cite class="pullquote-source">George Lee, creator</cite></blockquote><p>The Creator Fund doesn't "pay the bills" on its own, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-much-money-tiktokers-make-real-creator-examples-2021-7">Black users told Insider</a>. This means that influencers - regardless of ethnicity - have to rely on more than one lane of employment. </p><p>"I could not have this be my only source of income," Jillian Butler, a TikTok-ing college student, told Insider.</p><p>TikTokers can make money on the app through three different ways: the Creator Fund, brand sponsorships, and song promotions. Some Tiktokers, like <a href="https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMRNGMf1p/">Ziggi Tyler</a>, started to migrate to other platforms including the up-and-coming <a href="https://www.fanbase.com/">Fanbase</a> app, where they feel Black creators are elevated.</p><p>When white TikTokers can still gain notoriety from cultural appropriation highlighted on TikTok, Black creators say the impact speaks to the issue of exploitation.</p><p>"Most of Black America knows the story of appropriation all too well and social media is no different," creator George Lee said. "It's a saying in the hood that goes 'imagine if the world loved Black people as much as it loves Black culture."</p><p>"Black cultural products are highly valued, but we are not valued as cultural producers."</p>

'They take our dances.' Black users demand TikTok combat cultural appropriation

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Actor Lindsey Shaw was criticized for imitating a Black TikToker's dance.</li><li>Her former co-star Devon Werkheiser also participated in the dance trend.</li><li>She has since apologized and announced a social media break in response to backlash.</li></ul><p>"Pretty Little Liars" actor Lindsey Shaw announced that she was taking a break from <keyword id="6762469" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="TikTok">TikTok</keyword> following backlash after she was accused of mocking a Black TikToker's dance.</p><p>In the now-deleted TikTok, which was reuploaded by user @nonotcandace, Shaw can be seen reacting to a Black creator performing a viral dance craze dubbed the "Don't Spill Challenge," saying: "Hey, are you OK? What the f--- is this?" before imitating the dance. <br /><br />Many users considered Shaw's rendition of the dance to be problematic, especially since she had previously appeared to react positively to former "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide" co-star, Devon Werkheiser <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@devonwerkheiser/video/6982385270289206534">when he performed the same dance on his own TikTok page</a>, commenting "Get it!!!!" followed by cry-laughing face emojis.</p><blockquote class="tiktok-embed" cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@notnotcandace/video/6984017971177934086" data-video-id="6984017971177934086" style="max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px;"> <section> <a target="_blank" title="@notnotcandace" href="https://www.tiktok.com/@notnotcandace">@notnotcandace</a> <p>Reply to @taradaley  she deleted it but here it is <a title="dontspillchallenge" target="_blank" href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/dontspillchallenge">##DontSpillChallenge</a></p> <a target="_blank" title="♬ original sound - candace" href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/original-sound-6984017675941088005">♬ original sound - candace</a> </section> </blockquote> <p>"For anyone confused: She PRAISED her white friend, Devon, for doing the trend but insulted the black creators," a TikTok user said in one such comment under the re-uploaded video.</p><p>Shaw responded to the controversy in a video uploaded to her Instagram story on Monday July 12, in which she said, "I did not mean anything in any kinda way, I am learning every day as I think everybody is and this kind of hate just needs to evaporate from the planet no matter who it's directed towards. Crocodile tears? No, dude, like, this is like, my soul out there. If you know anything about what I stand for or what I believe in then you know that it's not this. I am sorry you were offended."<br /><br />Announcing that she would be temporarily leaving social media, Shaw added: "I gotta just go off of here for a little while. But I appreciate you, I love you, and I'll be back. And I hope that I know more, and I hope we all have a little more compassion and understanding."</p><p>Following Shaw's Instagram story, Wekseiser also addressed the controversy. Responding to a fan's question about the issue in a TikTok, he said, "Lindsey [made] a very unnecessary video hating on the most popular trend on TikTok that happens to be created by Black creator before getting rather reactionary and defensive in her comment section before deleting the video," he said in a TikTok. </p><p>He added, "Friends don't get canceled in real life," and said that Shaw has a "good heart and is dealing with personal issues." </p><p>This controversy comes after rising concern around the way Black creators are being treated on the platform. Recently, <a href="https://www.insider.com/black-tiktok-boycott-megan-thee-stallions-thot-shit-2021-6?amp">Black TikTokers went on "strike"</a> in order to highlight dance appropriation by white creators, while <a href="https://www.insider.com/tiktok-charli-damelio-sunny-hostin-the-view-black-creators-dances-2021-6?amp">"The View" host Sunny Hostin called out TikTok star Charli D'Amelio</a> for emulating Black TikTokers' dances without crediting them. </p><p>Lindsey Shaw did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.</p><p><a href="https://www.insider.com/culture"><strong>To read more stories like this, check out Insider's digital culture coverage </strong><strong>here</strong><strong>.</strong></a></p>

Actor Lindsey Shaw said she is temporarily leaving social media following accusations that she mocked a Black TikToker's dance

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6371810" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Kendall-Jenner">Kendall Jenner</keyword> is one of many non-Mexican celebrities to launch a <keyword id="113309" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="tequila">tequila</keyword> brand. </li><li>When 818 launched, critics said she was culturally appropriating tequila, a Mexican product. </li><li>Melly Barajas said the <keyword id="6355064" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Celebrity">celebrity</keyword> tequila boom isn't ideal but it's not as harmful as some may think.</li></ul><p>In February, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CLXIC-VDSVz/">Kendall Jenner announced she was launching her tequila brand, 818</a>. Almost immediately after, <a href="https://www.insider.com/kendall-jenner-818-tequila-brand-cultural-appropriation-accusations-2021-2">both praise and backlash started rolling in</a> - with criticism from some who thought this new business venture was an example of cultural appropriation. </p><p>Many said Jenner had no right to make tequila since she isn't Mexican. But Jenner is just one of <a href="https://www.insider.com/why-so-many-celebrity-tequila-brands-kendall-jenner-george-clooney-2021-3">many celebrities who own a tequila brand</a>. </p><p>Insider spoke with <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/25/business/tequila-mexico-women.html">Melly Barajas</a>, a Mexican tequilero and director and founder of tequila company <a href="https://www.vinosylicoresazteca.com/esp.php">Vinos y Licores Azteca</a>, about the <keyword id="37125" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="controversy">controversy</keyword> and the celebrity tequila boom. </p><p>"Unfortunately, globalization has created this kind of phenomenon," she said. "I wish all tequilas were made by Mexicans, but I don't see what's happening right now as that bad."</p><div type="image" title="818 tequila delivery truck" height="2324" width="3100" msid="84053032" hostid="261"></div><h2>Barajas thinks globalization will help boost tequila sales</h2><p>She believes a portion of Jenner's 172 million Instagram followers may not have been tequila drinkers, but that maybe now they'll try it. </p><p>According to Barajas, anyone who owns a tequila brand is required to purchase the product from a factory in <keyword id="3746" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Mexico">Mexico</keyword>. Each of these companies has a price per liter for its tequila, which the brand pays, Barajas said.</p><p>"I don't see it as serious because tequila has a <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/protected-designation-of-origin">protected designation of origin</a>, and that means that it can only be made exclusively in Mexico," Barajas said.</p><p>"Of course, it'd be great to see exclusively Mexican brands," she added. "But, well, if this girl is selling some anyway, a percentage stays in Mexico."</p><h2>She said it's also not up to Jenner to pay the jimadores</h2><p>Critics of non-Mexican-owned tequila companies say celebrities profit from their sales while jimadores are not paid in congruence with the total amount sold. </p><p>While Barajas says it's true that jimadores are often paid a set salary regardless of how much agave they harvest, it's not the brand owner's responsibility to pay them; that falls on the people who run the factory that employs them.</p><p>"For some time now, the price of agave has gone up a lot and that made the jimadores demand more money to cut the agave, so they are not underpaid," Barajas said. "Tequila gives work to millions of Mexicans, millions of families."</p><p>However, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/29/mexico-tequila-heartland-craft-danger-dying-out">The Guardian reported</a> in 2015 that the number of Mexicans willing to work as jimadores was dwindling in part because of static wages. The Guardian pointed to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2000/apr/17/mexico">the agave shortage of the early 2000s</a>, when the price per kilo increased by almost 1,000%, but wages for those doing the agricultural work remained the same.</p><div type="image" title="Casamigos truck featuring George Clooney and Rande Gerber" height="1333" width="1777" msid="84053033" hostid="261"></div><h2>Barajas says Jenner's gender is likely a cause for the backlash</h2><p>"There are many artists who have their tequila and have never been attacked as fiercely as she was attacked," she told Insider.</p><p>Marie Sarita Gaytán, the associate professor of sociology and gender studies and author of "<a href="https://www.insider.com/reviews/out?asin=0804793077&amp;platform=browser&amp;postSource=in%7C6030181adaf40c0f98349b93&amp;postTag=thebusiinsi-20&amp;sc=false&amp;type=AMAZON-AFFILIATE-LINK&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2F0804793077%3Ftag%3Dthebusiinsi-20&amp;sessionid=1625149758924&amp;tag=insider-safetynet-20924&amp;tag=insider-safetynet-20">¡Tequila!: Distilling the Spirit of Mexico</a>," previously told Insider that <a href="https://www.insider.com/kendall-jenner-tequila-cultural-appropriation-accusation-expert-responds-2021-2">gender may have something to with the criticism</a>.</p><p>She recalled that "there was hardly any mention of cultural appropriation" surrounding George Clooney and Rande Gerber's massive Casamigos sale, and said "when women step 'out of bounds,' whether it's in politics, business, or in this case, culture and entrepreneurship, it touches a nerve."</p><p>Jenner's audience is also vastly different from Clooney's, and <a href="https://www.insider.com/kendall-jenner-tequila-cultural-appropriation-accusation-expert-responds-2021-2">the model's followers may care more about calling out cultural appropriation</a>. </p><p>"Women here, in the US, and everywhere else in the world have to work twice as hard to be seen," Barajas told Insider.</p><p>"It happened to me in tequila," Barajas said. "I had to work and do things 100 times better than any man to get respect from the tequileros."</p>

Celebrities like Kendall Jenner have been criticized for selling tequila, but a Mexican tequila maker says it's not such a bad thing

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="921897" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Michael-B-Jordan">Michael B. Jordan</keyword> originally launched his <keyword id="131341" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Rum">rum</keyword> brand under the name J'Ouvert. </li><li>Prominent members of the Caribbean community, including <keyword id="560006" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Nicki-Minaj">Nicki Minaj</keyword>, criticized the name.</li><li>J'Ouvert is a phrase used in Caribbean culture to mark the start of Carnival season. </li></ul><p>The "Black Panther" actor Michael B. Jordan said he was renaming his new rum brand after the original name was accused of appropriating Caribbean culture.</p><p>The 34-year-old actor launched his rum brand earlier this month under the name J'Ouvert. The name appeared to be borrowed from the phrase used on many Caribbean islands to mark the start of Carnival.</p><p>Jordan f<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nicki-minaj-weighs-in-on-michael-b-jordan-appropriation-controversy-2021-6">aced strong criticism from members of the Caribbean community</a>, including the rapper Nicki Minaj, who was born in the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago, after it was uncovered that a business trademark had been filed for the name.</p><p>On Tuesday, in a post to his Instagram story, Jordan said he was "in the process of renaming" the rum.</p><p>"I just wanna say on behalf of myself &amp; my partners, our intention was never to offend or hurt a culture(we love &amp; respect) &amp; hoped to celebrate &amp; shine a positive light on," he wrote in an Instagram post. "Last few days has been a lot of listening. A lot of learning &amp; engaging in countless community conversations..."</p><p>He continued: "We hear you. I hear you &amp; want to be clear that we are in the process of renaming. We sincerely apologize &amp; look forward to introducing a brand we can all be proud of."</p><div type="image" title="A screenshot of Michael B. Jordan's Instagram apology." height="1357" width="756" msid="83778585" hostid="261"></div><p>Critics of the actor had been particularly angered by a line in Jordan's trademark filing that claimed the word J'Ouvert had "no meaning in a foreign language."</p><p>An <a href="https://www.change.org/p/caribbean-people-stop-michael-b-jordan-s-trademark-of-j-ouvert-for-his-rum?redirect=false">online petition to stop the trademark</a> reached 10,000 signatures before the actor's apology.</p><p>"The word J'Ouvert is deeply rooted in Trinbagonian and Caribbean culture," the petition said. "The word J'Ouvert heralds the annual indigenous festivities of T&amp;T's beloved Carnival, which began in the 1800s and is still practiced globally by people in and from the Caribbean."</p><p>Trinidad and Tobago's Minister of Trade and Industry, Paula Gopee-Scoon, told <a href="https://newsday.co.tt/2021/06/21/controversy-brews-over-michael-b-jordans-jouvert-rum/">Trinidad and Tobago Newsday</a> that the intellectual-property implications of Jordan's trademark filing were an issue "of extreme concern" and that her department would investigate.</p><p>Shortly before Jordan apologized, Minaj, who is from Trinidad, described the name as offensive and urged Jordan to reconsider.</p><p>"I'm sure MBJ didn't intentionally do anything he thought Caribbean ppl would find offensive," <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CQcBfxiLWC0/">Minaj wrote in an Instagram post</a>. "But now that you are aware, change the name &amp; continue to flourish &amp; prosper."</p>

Michael B. Jordan apologizes and agrees to rename his rum brand after being accused of cultural appropriation

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6371810" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Kendall-Jenner">Kendall Jenner</keyword> released an ad campaign for her 818 Tequila brand this week. </li><li>In images for the campaign, she's wearing braids, an oversize shirt, and a cowboy hat. </li><li>Critics have accused her of appropriating Mexican culture.</li></ul><p><a href="http://insider.com/category/kendall-jenner">Kendall Jenner</a> is facing cultural-appropriation accusations over her tequila brand's new ad campaign.</p><p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CO-9rl6jUrl/">Jenner shared photos of the ad campaign for 818 Tequila on Instagram</a> earlier this week, showing her riding a horse in an agave field while wearing jeans, an oversize shirt, a flat-brimmed cowboy hat strung across her back, and two braids.</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px); data.width~540;"><div style="padding:8px;"><div style="background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:62.4537037037% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style="margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CO-9rl6jUrl" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank"></a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by Kendall (@kendalljenner)<time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime=""></time></p></div></blockquote><p>Since posting the images, she has received criticism online from people accusing her of appropriating Mexican culture.</p><p>One <a href="https://twitter.com/ESNYstylessa/status/1394782825371553793">Twitter user</a> called her video outfit a "chic migrant worker look" while <a href="https://twitter.com/_sandynwa/status/1395012695901024262">another</a> said it was in line with her typical street style recently.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-Sandy   (@_sandynwa) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1395012695901024262?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2021</a></blockquote><p>Critics are calling out the scenes of Jenner on a horse riding through the field while employees harvest the agave, and then raising a glass with employees.</p><p>Jenner disabled comments on the Instagram post after receiving complaints. Representatives for Jenner declined to comment on the criticism when contacted by Insider.</p><h2>The California native was also accused of cultural appropriation when she first announced her brand</h2><p>When Jenner announced 818 on Instagram in February, <a href="https://www.insider.com/kendall-jenner-818-tequila-brand-cultural-appropriation-accusations-2021-2">social-media users were divided in their opinions</a>.</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px); data.width~540;"><div style="padding:8px;"><div style="background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:62.4537037037% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style="margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CLXIC-VDSVz" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank"></a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by Kendall (@kendalljenner)<time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime=""></time></p></div></blockquote><p>"The Mexican workers better not be getting under payed kenny," one Instagram comment said.</p><p>"Damn at least thank the Mexican farmers, distillers whose craft and heritage you're appropriating," another commenter wrote.</p><p>The agave plant has a long history and is known to have been considered sacred by Aztecs, according to <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/05/tequila-history-mexico/392990/">The Atlantic</a>.</p><p>Not everyone completely understood where critics were coming from, and some took the time to break down their thoughts, explaining the history of <a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/266">Tequila</a>, <keyword id="3746" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Mexico">Mexico</keyword>, and that workers are often exploited.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">-Cindy Alvarez  (@_cindyy_a) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1362141540840140800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2021</a></blockquote><p>In looking for some insight into the question of cultural appropriation, Insider spoke with Marie Sarita Gaytán, the associate professor of sociology and gender studies and author of "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/%C2%A1Tequila-Distilling-Marie-Sarita-Gayt%C3%A1n/dp/0804793077?tag=insider-safetynet-20">¡Tequila!: Distilling the Spirit of Mexico</a>," in February.</p><p>Gaytán told Insider via email that one root of the issue was that it seemed as though Mexican goods and culture <a href="https://www.insider.com/buzzfeed-news-refuses-ice-demand-to-reveal-its-anonymous-sources-2020-12">held more value in the US than Mexican people did</a>.</p><p>"For Mexicans and Mexican-Americans living in the United States, it certainly stings to see yet another non-Mexican capitalizing on their culture," Gaytán said in February. "Why might it sting? Well, for one, even as I write, real Mexicans - mothers, fathers, children - are in cages, put there by the US government. That could not happen in a country that respected Mexicans as humans."</p><h2>Celebrities like George Clooney and The Rock have similar promotional videos for their brands</h2><p>Though some are calling Jenner's video problematic, others are <a href="https://www.insider.com/kendall-jenner-tequila-cultural-appropriation-accusation-expert-responds-2021-2">asking why the same criticism didn't come after other male celebrities released their brand</a> videos.</p><p>In the February interview with Insider regarding Jenner's initial brand launch, Gaytán said that, as far as she could remember, tequila brands launched by other non-Mexican celebrities did not elicit the same response. "When people express outrage over Kendall Jenner's tequila, I wonder why there hasn't been the same reaction to the launch of brands by Justin Timberlake, Nick Jonas, or Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson?" she said.</p><p>Gaytán was unavailable for immediate comment on this story. But it is worth noting that some of those celebrities have also starred in promotional videos for their brands.</p><p>In April, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson shared a video of himself wearing a denim shirt, driving a truck through agave fields promoting his brand, Teremana.</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px); data.width~540;"><div style="padding:8px;"><div style="background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:62.4537037037% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style="margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CODjCxEFL0i" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank"></a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by therock (@therock)<time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime=""></time></p></div></blockquote><p>In December, the Teremana account shared a video of Johnson shaking hands and sharing a drink with jimadores, much like in Jenner's video.</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px); data.width~540;"><div style="padding:8px;"><div style="background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:62.4537037037% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style="margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CIjKttxnSvA" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank"></a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by Teremana Tequila (@teremana)<time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime=""></time></p></div></blockquote><p>Similar videos have also been shared by Casamigos featuring its founders George Clooney and Rande Gerber.</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:540; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px); data.width~540;"><div style="padding:8px;"><div style="background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:62.4537037037% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"><div style="background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div><p style="margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BIIUaWKjUmL" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank"></a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by Rande Gerber (@randegerber)<time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime=""></time></p></div></blockquote>

Kendall Jenner is facing cultural-appropriation accusations after releasing her new tequila ad campaign

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The same day that Bon Appétit Editor in Chief Adam Rapoport was called on by some of his own staffers to resign <a href="https://www.insider.com/bon-appetit-editor-adam-rapoport-resigned-dressed-puerto-rican-photo-2020-6">over a resurfaced photo</a> of him dressed in "brown face," a similar photo of <keyword id="9194992" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="alison-roman">Alison Roman</keyword> resurfaced as well.</li><li>Roman, who was heavily criticized — and had her New York Times column <a href="https://www.insider.com/alison-roman-chrissy-teigen-marie-kondo-food-interview-drama-2020-5">put on hold</a> — after she made cutting remarks about Chrissy Teigen and Marie Kondo, immediately acknowledged the old Myspace photo on <keyword id="6354616" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Twitter">Twitter</keyword>. </li><li>While journalist <a href="https://twitter.com/yashar/status/1270095078585843712">Yashar Ali said</a> the photo depicted Roman wearing an offensive "Chola" costume, <a href="https://twitter.com/alisoneroman/status/1270099719612698630">Roman said</a> it was San Francisco-inspired Amy Winehouse costume that "reads as culturally insensitive."</li></ul><p>June 8 was an eventful day for the <keyword id="6181" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Food">food</keyword> media world when it came to bad costume choices. The same day that Bon Appétit Editor in Chief Adam Rapoport was condemned by his own staffers <a href="https://www.insider.com/bon-appetit-editor-adam-rapoport-resigned-dressed-puerto-rican-photo-2020-6">for a resurfaced photo</a> that appeared to show him in "brown face," former Bon Appétit senior food editor and New York Times columnist Alison Roman had to address a resurfaced photo of her own seemingly offensive costume.</p><p>Journalist and Twitter personality <keyword id="6923400" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Yashar-Ali">Yashar Ali</keyword> posted that a source sent him the photo of Roman, and it was also still publicly accessible <a href="https://myspace.com/alisonelisabeth/mixes/classic-my-photos-429569/photo/159635467">on her archived Myspace account</a> at the time of publication. Ali wrote that it depicted Roman "dressed up as a Chola from a party."</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—Yashar Ali   (@yashar) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1270139761018073089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 8, 2020</a></blockquote><p>"Note her hoop earrings, fake tattoo on her chest, and her makeup," Ali wrote.</p><p>Cholas are part of a Mexican-American subculture that has a distinctive style and aesthetic. The style, while prevalent, has also often been imitated in racist costumes. "Chola" is also sometimes used as a derogatory term to denigrate the subculture.</p><p>But Roman quickly quote-tweeted Ali to say that she was not dressed as a "Chola," but rather as a San Francisco-inspired Amy Winehouse. </p><p>"This incredibly embarrassing picture was taken in 2008, I was 23 &amp; living in SF," Roman wrote. " [...] it reads as culturally insensitive, and I was an idiot child who knew nothing about the world/how this would be perceived and I'm sorry."</p><p>When certain Twitter users pressed her on details of the costume, including a chest tattoo that doesn't appear to match Winehouse's single chest tattoo, Roman said she probably wasn't thinking that far. </p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet blockquote" data-lang="en" data-cards="" data-conversation="">—alison roman  (@alisoneroman) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1270108557757816835?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 8, 2020</a></blockquote><p>Just weeks prior, in May 2020, Roman <a href="https://www.insider.com/alison-roman-chrissy-teigen-marie-kondo-food-interview-drama-2020-5">faced intense backlash</a> for comments she made about Chrissy Teigen and Marie Kondo — two Asian women — during an interview. Her New York Times column was temporarily put on hold, and Roman apologized <a href="https://www.insider.com/alison-roman-chrissy-teigen-marie-kondo-food-interview-drama-2020-5">after Teigen responded</a> with further criticism of Roman's statements. </p><p><em>Canela López contributed to this report. </em></p><ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/alison-roman-newsletter-new-york-times-return-2020-5">The New York Times says Alison Roman's column will return as the food writer announces she is starting her own newsletter</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/4-levels-epicurious-emily-lorenzo-food-videos-youtube-future-2019-10">The secret sauce to YouTube's viral food personalities — 'they f--- up constantly'</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/alison-roman-apologizes-for-remarks-about-chrissy-teigen-marie-kondo-2020-5">Food writer Alison Roman posts lengthy apology for 'flippant' remarks about Chrissy Teigen and Marie Kondo</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/vanderpump-rules-stassi-schroeder-kristen-doute-called-police-faith-stowers-2020-6">2 white 'Vanderpump Rules' stars are apologizing after their Black former co-star says they falsely accused her of robbery and called the police</a></li></ul>

You Searched For "cultural apporpriation" and got 6 results

'They take our dances.' Black users demand TikTok combat cultural appropriation

Taiyler Simone Mitchell

Actor Lindsey Shaw said she is temporarily leaving social media following accusations that she mocked a Black TikToker's dance

Charlotte Colombo

Celebrities like Kendall Jenner have been criticized for selling tequila, but a Mexican tequila maker says it's not such a bad thing

Rachel Askinasi,Qayyah Moynihan

Michael B. Jordan apologizes and agrees to rename his rum brand after being accused of cultural appropriation

Zac Ntim

Kendall Jenner is facing cultural-appropriation accusations after releasing her new tequila ad campaign

Kelly McLaughlin,Rachel Askinasi

Alison Roman says a resurfaced Myspace photo of her isn't an offensive 'Chola' costume, but a San Francisco-inspired Amy Winehouse

Kat Tenbarge