Home United States USA — Music Kylie and Kendall Jenner, Accused of Exploitation, Apologize for T-Shirts

Kylie and Kendall Jenner, Accused of Exploitation, Apologize for T-Shirts

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The sisters recalled their “vintage” T-shirts, which had their images superimposed over musicians like Tupac Shakur, the Notorious B. I. G. and the Doors.
A T-shirt bearing an image of the hip-hop artist Tupac Shakur was briefly on sale this week. It featured his photograph in black and white, with two bright yellow letters, “kk, ” splashed across his torso.
The item belonged to line of “vintage” T-shirts marketed online by the celebrity sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner. The shirts featured photographs and logos of well-known musicians or bands, including Mr. Shakur, the Doors, Metallica, Pink Floyd and the Notorious B. I. G.
But that wasn’ t all. Each T-shirt was superimposed with a brightly colored photograph of, or logo associated with, Kylie or Kendall Jenner. They cost $125 apiece.
Critics of the idea were quick to accuse the sisters of seeking to profit from the musicians’ legacies. The sisters apologized on Thursday, and said they had stopped selling the T-shirts.
Also on Thursday, Rolling Stone reported, lawyers representing the Doors sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Jenner sisters.
Another pointed rebuke came from the family of the New York rap artist the Notorious B. I. G., born Christopher Wallace, whose albums topped the charts before and after his death in 1997.
“I have no idea why they feel they can exploit the deaths of 2pac and my Son Christopher to sell a t-shirt, ” Voletta Wallace, Mr. Wallace’s mother, said on Instagram on Thursday. “This is disrespectful, disgusting, and exploitation at its worst!!!”
Ms. Wallace added that her son’s estate had not been contacted regarding the use of any images.
Sharon Osbourne, a television personality whose husband, Ozzy Osbourne, of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, was featured on the shirts, also criticized the Jenner sisters on Thursday.
“Girls, you haven’ t earned the right to put your face with musical icons, ” Ms. Osbourne wrote on Twitter. “Stick to what you know…lip gloss.”
The sisters apologized in posts on Twitter on Thursday. “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, ” they said. Their representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Kylie, 19, and Kendall, 21, are the half sisters of the reality television star Kim Kardashian West. Like her, they vaulted to fame with the reality show “Keeping Up With the Kardashians, ” which debuted in 2007. Kylie and Kendall have since embarked on business ventures including clothing, eyewear and cosmetics lines.
Both have been accused of cultural appropriation in the past. Kylie has been criticized for clothing and hairstyle choices — like wearing her hair braided into cornrows and marketing camouflage-patterned swimwear — without giving credit to black women who had earlier popularized similar styles.
And Kendall was called out for starring in a Pepsi commercial in which she joined a march that appeared to be a protest — no particular cause was specified — and then handed a can of Pepsi to a police officer who smiled and shrugged. Critics said the clip was an affront to the Black Lives Matter movement’s protests against police brutality, and Pepsi apologized for the advertisement.
Now that they have landed in hot water once again, the sisters are no longer selling the “vintage” T-shirts on the website for their lifestyle brand, Kendall +Kylie.
“The tee shirts have been pulled from retail and all images have been removed, ” the sisters said in their apology. “We will use this as an opportunity to learn from these mistakes and again, we are very sorry.”

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