Earlier this year, Pepsi's marketing team took something of a hit to its reputation. Over the years, the soft drinks company have utilized the world's best soccer players to help to peddle their carbonated, corn syrup-flavoured drink, but a few months ago, Pepsi used a celebrity of an entirely different kind in an attempt to boost sales. As you might know, Kendall Jenner's appearance in that Pepsi ad did not exactly go to plan. Back in April, the 21-year-old was roundly criticised for appearing to appropriate images from the Black Lives Movement in the commercial, implying that the spectre of police brutality could be quite easily dispelled by Pepsi. [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/BerniceKing/status/849656699464056832]] Now, almost six months on from the incident, Kendall Jenner has finally opened up about the incident, and while some people had a field day online mocking the advert, Jenner seems pretty far from being able to laugh off the matter. Last weekend saw the premiere of the 14th season of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, and 10 years on from that show's delicious debut, we've got plenty to unpack as America's most famous family prepare their latest slew of problems. Pretty high up on that list is Kendall Jenner's emotional recovery from her Pepsi ad, which her sister Khloé Kardashian has admitted has hit Kendall pretty hard. "Kendall did a commercial and basically caused a huge controversy. It sucks, because she’s been taking the blame for it all. Kendall tries really hard to be socially conscious and aware of the jobs that she takes … so it weighs really heavy on her heart. Her intent is never to disrespect or offend anybody." That weight on Kendall's heart was clear for all to see, as she broke down on Keeping Up With the Kardashians, saying she regrets even taking on the advert at all, and hinting as well as at why she refrained from apologising for the incident. "I trusted everyone. I trusted the teams. But after I saw the reaction and I read what people had to say about it, I most definitely saw what went wrong. I was so stuck, and I really didn’t know what to do, that I completely shut down."  Later on, Kendall talked to Kim Kardashian about her deep regret. "I just feel really, really bad. Like, I feel really bad that anyone was ever offended. I feel really bad that this was taken such a wrong way. I genuinely feel like s***, and I have no idea how I’m gonna bounce back from it". Luckily, Kim came to the fore as the big sister, giving Kendall a pep talk and reminding us all that Kendall's got a lot to learn as she grows up in the public spotlight. "This is the first time you’ve had a scandal. This is your first real experience with something like this. You’re the last person to want to hurt someone or be insensitive, but it’s, like, it really sucks. I think the only thing you can really do is just be real and honest, because you can’t ignore it. Like, you can’t. It should affect you in a way where you grow from it, and you’re like, 'Okay, I’m a better person from it' … I just wish that you could see that there’s light at the end of the tunnel." In light of the outrage around Kendall Jenner's controversial Pepsi ad, I think it's important to remember that Kendall Jenner is still only 21 years old, and that everyone can make mistakes in life. Perhaps she might have helped herself by apologising, but let's hope she learns her lesson from this entire unsavoury incident, and takes more care with how she uses her star power in the future.

The Kardashian clan have been sailing through some decidedly turbulent waters of late. 2017 started off on something of a sour note for the family when Kendall Jenner became embroiled in a furious backlash for her part in an entirely regrettable Pepsi advertising campaign. The commercial depicted Jenner joining a protest movement in the street, carefully watched over by law enforcement officials. Jenner subsequently steps out of the crowd, Pepsi can in hand, and gives it to one of the officers. With a “well, what d’you know?” look at his colleague, the police officer accepts the can and takes a sip of Pepsi, to rapturous applause from the onlooking protesters. Since then the family has veered from hurdle to misstep; Kendall Jenner once again found herself on the receiving end of some negative publicity when, along with sister Kylie, she was criticized for a range of t-shirts that featured images of musical icons with Instagram photos of the sister superimposed atop them. Perhaps it is inevitable; the Kardashian/Jenner family is one of the most instantly recognizable on the face of the Earth, and the nature of their fame does tend to rankle some. Intense scrutiny, then, is part of everyday reality for the sisters, not least Kim Kardashian. [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BW0Y25elLvM/?taken-by=kimkardashian]] For year upon year, Kim's butt has been the subject of absurdly passionate debate, as fans, detractors and seemingly everyone in between have speculated feverishly over whether the star has had implants or injections of some sort. Putting aside the notion that everyone ought to have more salient issues to be concerning themselves with, the topic of Kim's butt has achieved something akin to cult status in our modern society. Most everyone has an opinion, and frankly I'm sure I'm not the only one who is relieved that - finally - Kim herself has put the rumours to bed by addressing the issue once and for all. As Cosmopolitan reports, in a recent live stream, the reality star admitted to having had injections - but that is far from the whole story. As Kardashian explains; due to her psoriasis, a doctor had recommended that cortisone shots might help the condition. As she says; "I went to go get a cortisone shot in my butt. "I lived right behind Kitson. One of my neighbours was a dermatologist at Cedars. I go in there and he's like, 'There's a one in a billion chance that you will get a huge indent in your butt.' Of course I get a huge indent on my butt." What are the chances, eh? Well, one in a billion, apparently, though I'm not sure that's an official statistic. In fact, Kim says she remembers when the implant rumours first surfaced; "There is a picture of me in Miami wearing an electric blue dress, and another picture of me walking down Robertson. "You see the indent. And I think that's when the rumours started: 'She's had implants.'" Good on Kim for being upfront about her body, and for settling a debate that has been unnecessarily raging for years. Thank goodness.

In the world of the Kardashian/Jenner clan, life is, quite literally, a beach. At least, that is the image that one of the world's most instantly recognisable families likes to portray; one of opulence, wealth and beauty. The Kardashians have positioned themselves as the ultimate aspirational figures for our modern culture, eschewing privacy for fame and notoriety as they lay bare their lives through the filtered corridors of Instagram or their behemoth of a television show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians. [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BUGzKLVlYz1/?taken-by=kimkardashian]] This year, though, has been far from plain sailing for the family. 2017 kicked off on a sour note for Kendall Jenner as she found herself in the midst of a backlash against a Pepsi commercial in which she starred. The ad drew widespread criticism for appearing to draw insensitive parallels to the Black Lives Matter movement, and was swiftly pulled soon after its release. Kendall found herself in hot water once again more recently this year when, along with her sister Kylie, she was forced to a pull a range of t shirts that depicted images of musical icons with Instagram photos of the two sisters superimposed over the top. Perhaps due to the nature of their fame, the Kardashian/Jenner family are placed under almost constant public scrutiny, drawing strong criticism where the actions of other, less notorious individuals might be forgiven without the need for a scathing dissection by internet users. [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BX27uj5jdu9/?taken-by=kendalljenner]] With that being said, it would be bordering on the absurd to suggest that the family does not court fame and all of its trappings. Indeed, the end game of nearly every move that the sisters, along with "momager" Kris, make appear to have their root in enhancing the Kardashian brand. As most fans of Keeping Up with the Kardashians will know, Caitlyn Jenner and ex-wife Kris haven't been on particularly friendly terms since their divorce, but it would seem that Caitlyn has also seen her relationship with Kim Kardashian West take a turn for the worse in recent months. Indeed, as she told Good Morning Britain, the pair haven't actually spoken since last year;

"We haven't talked in nine months.

"I love Kim so much. It's such a huge loss in my life not having her there anymore. It's really sad.

"I love all my children. I spent 25 years raising these kids."

It would seem that Caitlyn's book, The Secrets Of My Life played a part in the problems between the pair; "With that family, you'll notice on the show [Keeping up with the Kardashians] that I always kept my opinions to myself. "I was living in a house with very opinionated women and I was always left in the background and kept my mouth shut.

"This book was my story. I was finally giving my side of the story. It was completely honest and I continue to feel extraordinarily proud of my book.

"Unfortunately though, the Kardashians, particularly Kris, didn't react that way even though I went overboard to be nice and friendly."

Caitlyn, though, was keen to stress that she loves Kim, and has "a lot of respect for her as a mother and business person". She also said that her identifying as transgender played no part in the pair's problems.

Despite Kendall Jenner being one of the youngest Kardashians, her time in the limelight has been nothing but eventful. Certainly, as anyone who has been keeping up with her antics will attest to, 2017 has not been her year. The 21-year-old model started the year off on a sour note when she was forced to apologise over her role in a controversial Pepsi advertisement. Pepsi was heavily criticised for downplaying the importance of activist groups in regards to the Black Lives Matter movement. In a move that left viewers speechless; Jenner, a caucasian woman who has led a hugely privileged life, was shown solving complex issues of racism and inherent prejudices by handing a can of the soft-drink to a police officer. This, coupled with launching a line of t-shirts which were unanimously denounced as being "insensitive" led Kendall's once loyal fanbase to "unstan her", that is to withdraw their support. And the punches keep coming apparently, as it's now come to light that Kendall Jenner won't be walking in the 2017 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. Kendall's best friend, Gigi Hadid alongside a slew of well-known models, including Karlie Kloss and Taylor Hill will  soon be jetting off to assume their angel wings and strut their stuff in what's set to be this autumn's main event, the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. However, Kendall Jenner, who has walked the show twice before, in 2015 and 2016 will not be flying out to Shanghai in November. But apparently, it's all of the reality-television star's own volition. A close friend of the Kardashians disclosed to TMZ that Jenner didn't even audition for the spot, because she's landed herself an even hotter gig. Jenner just signed a "multi-million dollar deal" to be the face of luxury lingerie brand, La Perla. Naturally, Victoria's Secret has a pretty stringent no-compete clause so Jenner wouldn't be able to don her angel wings even if she wanted to. And why would she when she's just secured herself a boatload of money and the prestige that comes with working with an upscale brand like La Perla? Certainly, the model seems pretty psyched about the deal by the looks of her Instagram account. She's already posted some snaps of her in some racy La Perla lingerie. [[instagramwidget||https://www.instagram.com/p/BYMEP0bjPDj/?hl=en&taken-by=kendalljenner]]

It's unlikely that this will win back Jenner any favour with her fan-base, however, as they rather dramatically "unstanned" her in July. The Twitter account, Kendall Updates, which boasts over 30,000 followers and refers to itself as "the #1 source for everything Kendall Jenner", recently published a brutal thread listing the reasons why they've decided to revoke their support for Kendall. Some of the reasons include, her "blatant" cultural appropriation, the fact that she was wore a shirt featuring the confederate flag and a general lack of appreciation for her fans.

[[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/knjdaily/status/881218912523874305]] Fancy more Kardashian news? In a move that won't surprise anyone, Kylie and Kendall Jenner are once again being accused of cultural appropriation for their new fashion line... Some people really don't learn, do they?

Remember when Pepsi ran quite possibly the worst commercial to have ever existed in the history of the universe? Remember that? That ridiculous advert which saw Kendall Jenner stop a potentially violent confrontation between protesters and police by handing them a can of Pepsi? Well, while the majority of the world's population thought that it was completely ludicrous, it obviously caused quite a stir over a Coca-Cola, who also decided to try and produce a similarly absurd advert. The new Coca-Cola advert has sparked controversy online after it appears to exploit women's rights in Saudi Arabia for commercial gain. Basically, the premise of the advert is that women can drive if they have a drink of Coke. The "Change Has A Taste" campaign was designed to celebrate Saudi Arabia's recent order which has finally allowed women to drive after decades of banning them from doing so. While some people have praised the drinks company for celebrating the end of this archaic ban, the majority of social media users have accused Coca-Cola of exploiting the historic ruling in order to create some profit. The advert follows a father and daughter duo as they go through the experiences of her first driving lesson. As expected, the girl initially struggles to drive, with her stalling the car and knocking over the bottle of coke that her father had opened for her. But, once she has a sip of the good stuff, she suddenly manages to drive smoothly and with a big grin on her face. Basically, if you're worrying about your driving test, have a bottle of Coke beforehand and you should be fine. Taking to Twitter to share their views on the advertising campaign, one user wrote: "Apparently @CocaCola thinks the answer to the systemic oppression of women in Islamic countries is an ice cold Coke," while someone else sarcastically said: "Wait, what? Women are allowed to drink Coca-Cola? #progressive" [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/Boutaina/status/926831797559746562]] [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/LauraLoomer/status/928115721502117889]] Another user added: "It's not Christmas until you see the Coca-Cola advert, it's not women's rights until they've been tokenised for monetary or political gain." [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/Osha001/status/926891657307488256]] [[twitterwidget||https://twitter.com/abusulayman/status/926605155285569536]] Despite the negative response to the advert, with many people likening it to the infamous Pepsi x Kendall Jenner advert, Coca-Cola has claimed that the commercial was created as part of its "commitment to enable the economic empowerment of women". However, not all people thought that the advert was ludicrous. One social media user said: "But it's a celebration of positive social and cultural change." They weren't alone in their opinion, with another user agreeing with them, adding: "The commercial is about Saudi women getting the right to drive! It was about removal of oppression." While it seems like Coke were genuinely trying to spread a message of positivity, they got it pretty wrong in this case and the advert is cringe-worthy more than anything. They should just stick to their Christmas advert. After all, it's not Christmas until you see that Coca-Cola lorry, right?