Pepsi Pulls Controversial Kendall Jenner Ad

Pepsi has removed a controversial ad featuring Kendall Jenner that was criticized for co-opting imagery from the Black Lives Matter movement.

The ad, which was first posted yesterday, depicts young people in a protest march, laughing and holding up generic signs saying "Join the conversation." At the end, Jenner gives a can of Pepsi to a police officer, which causes the crowd to applaud and the officer to smile.

It immediately received backlash on social media, with critics pointing out that the imagery evoked the now-famous photo of Black Lives Matter protester Ieshia Evans being arrested by cops at a protest in Baton Rouge — but replacing her with a white supermodel.

In a statement, Pepsi apologized for the ad: "Pepsi was trying to project a global a message of unity, peace and understanding. Clearly, we missed the mark, and we apologize. We did not intend to make light of any serious issue. We are pulling the content and halting any further rollou. We also apologize for putting Kendall Jenner in this position."

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