Target apologized Monday and removed a Halloween costume from sale after critics said it evoked Blackface imagery, sending Target stock down as much as 5% on Tuesday.
The product, sold under Target's Hyde and EEK Boutique brand as the "Kids' Glows Under Blacklight Circus Clown Halloween Costume," ignited social media criticism from shoppers who said its imagery recalled racist caricatures tied to the minstrel show tradition. "As a company, we know we got this wrong, and we are deeply sorry," Target said in a statement. "The costume is offensive and should never have been part of our ******* ortment."
Target declined to comment on who designed the costume or to provide details about the product approval process, according to Reuters. In an internal email viewed by Reuters, Chief Merchandising Officer Cara Sylvester told employees the item "never should have been in our ******* ortment."
The apology did not satisfy some stakeholders. Sheletta Brundidge, a Minneapolis entrepreneur who protested Target's DEI rollbacks last year, said Target "keeps showing us who they are." Brundidge, speaking to CNN, framed the costume as a consequence of those rollbacks: "You rolled back diversity," she said, "so who's in the room, now, to say 'hey, this is wrong?'" A post in the BlackPeopleofReddit community, which has 1.6 million members, urged a boycott of the retailer.
Tejal Patel, executive director of Target shareholder SOC Investment Group, called the costume "another example ... where Target has lost trust with its consumer base." Morningstar ******* yst Brett Husslein said the selloff exposed how precarious Target's market standing has become, pointing out that the chain must win customers through experience and goodwill rather than the low prices that drive shoppers to Walmart and Costco.
#target #brundidge #imagery #shoppers
The product, sold under Target's Hyde and EEK Boutique brand as the "Kids' Glows Under Blacklight Circus Clown Halloween Costume," ignited social media criticism from shoppers who said its imagery recalled racist caricatures tied to the minstrel show tradition. "As a company, we know we got this wrong, and we are deeply sorry," Target said in a statement. "The costume is offensive and should never have been part of our ******* ortment."
Target declined to comment on who designed the costume or to provide details about the product approval process, according to Reuters. In an internal email viewed by Reuters, Chief Merchandising Officer Cara Sylvester told employees the item "never should have been in our ******* ortment."
The apology did not satisfy some stakeholders. Sheletta Brundidge, a Minneapolis entrepreneur who protested Target's DEI rollbacks last year, said Target "keeps showing us who they are." Brundidge, speaking to CNN, framed the costume as a consequence of those rollbacks: "You rolled back diversity," she said, "so who's in the room, now, to say 'hey, this is wrong?'" A post in the BlackPeopleofReddit community, which has 1.6 million members, urged a boycott of the retailer.
Tejal Patel, executive director of Target shareholder SOC Investment Group, called the costume "another example ... where Target has lost trust with its consumer base." Morningstar ******* yst Brett Husslein said the selloff exposed how precarious Target's market standing has become, pointing out that the chain must win customers through experience and goodwill rather than the low prices that drive shoppers to Walmart and Costco.
#target #brundidge #imagery #shoppers
2 hours ago
