LOUD Girls versus capitalism

Three ways Pepsi and Kendall Jenner capitalized off Black life, death, sweat, blood and tears

(Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)

The Kardashians and Jenners are known for being the ultimate parasites of Black girl culture by attempting to steal our physical features, styles, mannerisms, and more. And Pepsi just woefully attempted to maximize on that by trying to transform Kendall Jenner into a LOUD Girl by cashing in on Black women’s roles as the impetuses of human rights movements – without the effort – via that awful ad campaign.

Hold my wig. The “hold my (blond) wig” gesture is the appropriation of Black women having said “hold my purse” right before having passed their purses, earrings, etc. to friends and family members before epic showdowns that have ranged from dancing, to “checking” and even fighting when violated.

Passing the wig to a Black woman is definitely a slap in the face, but nothing can twist the fact that Black women and girls have boldly and passionately showed up and showed out as the driving forces and sustainers of human rights movements. We have never taken a back seat to anyone in cultivating progressive change, and never will.

Faking Bold Resistance. Black women have been major organizers of civil rights movements, oftentimes sacrificing themselves by risking and losing their lives and livelihoods in the process.

The idea of a white woman “jumping in” – as the ad campaign was so conveniently titled – is definitely a detached, privileged and fittingly air-headed perspective of Black women’s roles in human rights movements.

There is no such thing as “jump in.” Pepsi’s extremely trivial, direct and intentional hand-a-police-a-Pepsi attack can’t hold a torch to the work and efforts of Black women to fight and end hate, racism, civil injustice, police brutality and systemic oppression.

For the record, Black women don’t need to be propped up like Jenner, by capitalism and greedy soda companies in the world of advertising make-believe, because our life’s work and experiences makes us heroes in real life. Ya’ll tried it though.

Keeping it LOUD,

LOUD Girl Movement Team