Why Kendall Jenner's Pepsi ad has outraged Twitter

Critics say advert is an insult to Black Lives Matter activists

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(Image credit: Pepsi)

Kendall Jenner's new advert for Pepsi has been criticised for undermining protest movements such as Black Lives Matter.

In the ad, the second-youngest member of the Kardashian clan is seen leaving a photoshoot to join protesters on a march.

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However, the campaign has been interpreted as an attempt to capitalise on the imagery of contemporary protests in the US, BBC Newsbeat reports.

For many critics, it paints a "privileged, white, famous young model" as a peacemaker between civil rights activists and police using "a drink sold by a massive conglomerate", says The Independent.

In particular, supporters of protest movements highlighted how the advert glosses over issues such as police brutality.

One tongue-in-cheek tweet showed Martin Luther King Jr being arrested at a civil rights protest in the 1960s, speculating that he "forgot his Pepsi".

TV reporter Ronan Farrow mocked the "generic" nature of the protest portrayed in the ad.

Others offered satirical suggestions for future advertisements.

Pepsi said the advert "reflects people from different walks of life coming together in a spirit of harmony".

It added: "We think that's an important message to convey."

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