Proactive, Kendall Jenner accused of 'queerbaiting' in advertising stunt

By AdNews | 9 January 2019
 
Kendall Jenner's promotional pics for Proactiv in People Magazine

Skincare brand Proactiv has been accused of 'queerbaiting' in its latest advertising push starring Kendall Jenner.

The campaign by Proactiv began over the weekend with Kardashian/Jenner matriach Kris Jenner sharing a tweet praising her daughter for being “so brave and vulnerable” in a then-unspecified interview. 

Speculation soon ran rife about what Kendall would be revealing with some speculating it could be about her sexuality.

Fans were left feeling cheated when it turned out Kendall had inked an endorsement deal with acne skincare brand Proactiv, joining a long list of celebrity faces including Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Jessica Simpson and Mandy Moore. 

Promoting the skincare product, Kendall shared a video of how she had dealt with having acne on the Golden Globes red carpet last year.

https://twitter.com/Proactiv/status/1082070128106196992

But the personal story fell flat with her fans, who accused the model of overhyping the announcement and "queerbaiting".

https://twitter.com/stephenossola/status/1082141857096916993

https://twitter.com/MclovinCobain/status/1082068487969927168

https://twitter.com/Jappy_AF/status/1082073151423553536

https://twitter.com/danahmeq/status/1082204086655700992

This is the second major advertising campaign that has sparked backlash for Kendall with her infamous Pepsi ad having to be pulled after accusations it was racist. 

It's also one of several occasions that a member of the Kardashian/Jenner family have been questioned on the authenticity of their sponsored social media posts, having previously come under fire for a lack of disclosure.

Proactiv is yet to respond to the backlash.

Ads from Proactiv's past

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