WATCH: Kendall Jenner Models, Joins Protest In Controversial Pepsi Ad

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A new Pepsi advertisement featuring Kendall Jenner is drawing outrage.

Watch the full controversial commercial in the video above.

The commercial, titled “Live For Now Moments Anthem,” shows a large protest of people of all walks of life marching down the street for an unknown cause while the model/reality TV star sits in a doorway modeling with blonde hair. An Asia man and an Indian woman are shown in their respective apartments playing music and reviewing photographs while drinking a Pepsi.

The song “Lions” by Skip Marley is playing over the ad as a curious Jenner looks on. As the protest moves past the doorway Jenner is modeling in, she takes note, removing her blonde wig, smearing her makeup and joining the group along with the aforementioned woman and man.

As the hundreds of protesters approach a line of police officers, everybody stops as Jenner emerges from the group with her very own can of Pepsi. She is encouraged by those in attendance, getting a fist bump from one protester before moving toward a police officer and offering him a can of soda.

The officer takes the soda with a smile, popping open the tab. As soon as he does so, the entire crowd rejoices as if the problems they were protesting against have all been solved by Jenner and the Pepsi.

So far, the response from the ad has been very poor.

The Washington Post broke the commercial down second-by-second and called the ad “tone deaf.”

Pepsi released a statement later in the day April 4, saying that the advertisement isn’t only intended for U.S. viewers. Instead, it’s aimed at reaching those across the globe in an effort to portray coming together in harmony.

On Twitter, people took aim at the ad, saying that it’s extremely insensitive and a cheesy way to portray the issues facing our country. Here are a few of the tweets about the spot’s portrayal:

A Hollywood Director Called It the Worst He’s Ever Seen

The Carefully Thought Out Sayings & Phrases In the Ad Were Mocked

Some Twitter Users Said It Evoked Imagery of an Iconic ‘Black Lives Matter’ Photo

One Twitter User Joked About How the Ad Appears to Show Pepsi Healing Cultural Issues

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Chris Bucher is a sports, politics and general news contributor to Heavy. A University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh graduate, Bucher is the business editor at The Waukesha Freeman and the former sports assistant editor. You can follow him on Twitter @Buchage and reach him at chris.bucher@heavy.com.
April 4, 2017 8:55 pm