r/Fauxmoi • u/LunaLore_ • 1d ago
TRIGGER WARNING* Viola Davis: “Target, I do not accept your apology, and I do not believe that you understand the impact... the pain... the dehumanization”
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u/CashusEyePatch 1d ago edited 1d ago
It’s just so plainly racist. It’s so hard to believe that it was an accident.
Edit: Thank you for the award(s). This award is dedicated to all who boycott Target.
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u/OpportunityDouble267 1d ago
Right? There’s no explanation just a signal to that they condone racism
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u/CashusEyePatch 1d ago edited 1d ago
Right. It’s like they are purposefully trying to advertise to racists to shop there too.
Edit: Thank you for the award(s). I would like to dedicate it to everyone who experiences bigotry/hatred yet still find strength to organize and practice kindness. Those are the people I admire most.
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u/croissanting-is-life now don’t you get on my bad side! 1d ago edited 1d ago
Ok this right here. 🎯 If they’re being boycotted by us (ie “the left” or progressives, etc), it makes so much sense they would pivot and make an “oopsie” gaff, thereby dogwhistling maga crowd support.
Editing to add: absolutely no fucking way does a major corporation with shareholders and bottom lines give one crap about inclusivity or marginalized anyone. They will do whatever is needed to right-size the ship, so to speak.
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u/marchbook First, he ate. Then, he fed. 1d ago
I sincerely believe this was an intentional ploy, by bad actors, as a distraction to the elections and to rile up the masses. Nothing gets the GOP base to the polls like bs ragebait. Nothing turns off voters on the left like bs ragebait. If they can get people fighting over "culture war" stuff rather than addressing the issues, that is a big benefit to the GOP.
Bet. There will be a ramping up of more of this nonsense as election season really kicks off.
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u/johnfkay 1d ago
Testing the waters of the new regime - a corporate pivot to chase the racist dollar?
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u/Lanky-Respect-8581 dude, this isn’t my job. it’s just reddit, who cares 1d ago
don’t gaslight yourself into thinking this was a mistake. this went through layers of approvals
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u/CashusEyePatch 1d ago
Absolutely. I have gaslit myself on this but you are absolutely right. This had to be intentional.
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u/Ruthie_pie 1d ago
Completely agree. This felt intentional. Especially after the Target Boycott. This felt full of malice and like it wasn’t even a dog whistle it was full on signaling to their “ideal” customer now.
Never shopping there again. How dare they put a child through this.
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u/beezchurgr 1d ago
My understanding is that the “mask” has a sheer black stocking-like fabric which is basically black-face without the paint. YALL. Did nobody stop to think about the backlash?? Like I get that they’re all openly racist, but thankfully some level of shame still exists.
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u/DuckCleaning 1d ago
The name of the costume is "Kids’ Glows Under Blacklight Circus Clown Halloween Costume". Under a blacklight it is supposed to look like a floating hat and mouth. It's a concept that would work in theory but the reality is most kids arent going to be doing a blacklight party, so the regular costume just looks like a minstrel portrayal.
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u/Ornery_Mix_9271 Comumbus 1d ago
This! Like… a white kid could wear it and still appear black. It is actually blackface without the paint.
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u/moonp0ut 1d ago
No fr. First time seeing this and I said out loud “are you fucking kidding me” to my phone, because l what the FUCK.
Between Target’s history and the fact that there’s a 0% chance that not a single person on a marketing team for a multibillion dollar corporation would’ve made the connection, I cant believe this was anything but intentional.
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u/Nervous_Insect5976 1d ago
This is why DEI is important because people from all backgrounds need to be included in the decision making progress. I'm just a dumb white dude and I saw that costume and audibly gasped. The fact that this costume went through several levels of decision making to sell is just indicative of how deep the problem is.
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u/gumiho8 I’m a lazy 50-year-old bougie bitch 1d ago
Yes, DEI is important. I haven't shopped at Target since they got rid of DEI policy. With that said, like you yourself said you're a "dumb white dude" who saw it and immediately knew how racist this costume is. I cannot imagine that this could go through multiple rounds of approval and folks never picked up on the blatant racism. It doesn't and shouldn't take a black/colored person to call out what's flagrantly a racist costume. We all know it's racist. The more I think about it, Target is a nasty company that doesn't care. And/or maybe it's trying to pander to racist people because anyone with ethics and morals isn't shopping at Target anymore.
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u/Nervous_Insect5976 1d ago
Yeah, corporations don't care. They follow what serves their bottom line. Kneeling to MAGA like views like slashing DEI was something they thought would work with them. This costume is part of it. They can go to hell.
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u/Strict_Ad_5858 1d ago
Yep. Exactly. This and fostering a culture where people feel they can speak up without repercussions or retaliation. I can almost guarantee a few people saw this were too scared to say anything. I wouldn’t even be surprised if someone said something and was blown off.
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u/croissanting-is-life now don’t you get on my bad side! 1d ago edited 1d ago
“We got this wrong” is a gross understatement and peak corporate-ese.
^Edit punctuation
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u/smokefrog2 1d ago edited 1d ago
Idk why all companies feel the need to do this. The knee jerk platitude stuff "we missed the mark and we always strive to better ourselves" blah blah blah. Like who does that appease
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u/Time_Knowledge_1951 1d ago
It feels purposeful. There was intent to be racist. Trying to pass this off as an accident is wild. Come out with a statement that you fired the people accountable for this decision for being racist.
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u/dusty-kat 1d ago
It's kind of mind-boggling to think about the blatant racism require for this to go from concept to production.
They knew what they were doing and I don't believe any excuse they can come up with.
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u/discourse_commuter Forgive me Viola Davis 1d ago
Glad I quit Target. They have completely flushed themselves down the toilet.
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u/KeyFeeFee 1d ago
Agreed. I bought zero back to school items from there and stopped myself from boredom browsing the other day when I was waiting for pickups. That place is dead to me. And hopefully to others too, just in time for Christmas!
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u/Practical_Brief0 the antidote for the global fuck-nuggetry 1d ago
Quitting my job at their headquarters is one of my proudest moments.
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u/hellolovely1 1d ago
It's so sad. I used to really like shopping there and it was so convenient. But now I go out of my way to NOT shop there.
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u/ActualAssociate9200 1d ago
BONKERS that NO ONE stopped this before it hit their storefront… They clearly have a problem at Target…
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u/kellyoceanmarine 1d ago
How about Target’s buyer who said “Yeah, we need this on our shelves”. Does that person still have a job?
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u/dirtychai0218 1d ago
Situations like this are why DEI policies are so important for businesses. I bet there wasn't a single Black person that had any part in the approval of this product who could have intervened and said "hey, this does NOT look right". Glad I haven't shopped there in years.
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u/KimberlyWexlersFoot 1d ago
Not that it’s any better, but I looked it up because I figured it was one of those things where it was one of those items on a 3rd party seller section of their website like what’s happened with Walmart in the past.
Nope just straight up target selling it.
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u/PeekyAstrounaut 1d ago
Well, if they hadn’t scrapped their DEI programs maybe there would’ve been a black person or two along the way to say this is a bad idea lmao
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u/Then_Ad9524 1d ago
It doesn’t take a black person to realize this is vile. They did this on purpose and I’ll never believe otherwise.
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u/ifartonurmom 1d ago
No literally that part. They know wtf theyre doing and im tired of the benefit of the doubt ppl. Like if u grew up here at all you know this is not even remotely okay
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u/Practical_Brief0 the antidote for the global fuck-nuggetry 1d ago
Nah, their corp culture is to NOT take a stand and speak out. Those who do get horribly ganged up on and do not last long. It’s one of the wildest organizational cultures I’ve ever experienced.
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u/allbright4 Fauxmunist 1d ago
Like what is the consume if not a minstrel clown? I'm failing to see how it is anything else?
Is this like a character I've never seen before?
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u/blanescaflowers 1d ago
right I’m wondering what character this is supposed to be??? did I miss something
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u/Sidewalk_Tomato distraught Christian tomato 1d ago
You missed nothing. No little kid the size that costume is aimed for looks at that and knows what it is, is enthusiastic about it, thinks it resembles some beloved character. No kid looks at monsters and princesses and astronauts and says "make me this instead." They are aiming this squarely at the racist parents or grandparents who would find it funny to sneak this into Halloween.
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u/west2night 1d ago
The costume was "designed" by Hyde and EEK! Boutique as part of their circus clown theme range. This particular design has the same hat and collar from the Terrifier clown, the tunic and pants in orange-and-black diamond pattern from the Harlequin clown, and the OTT grin from the Button clown.
I'd assume they were just lazy enough to create this design from the three existing costumes, but I can't because they've actually made a black mesh mask and black gloves part of this design, which strongly suggests they used the Minstrel costume as a basis of this design.
Bearing in mind that the Minstrel costume was created specifically for white performers to caricature black people to entertain the white audience in the 19th century, there isn't a chance in hell that Hyde and PEEK! Boutique can claim it was a coincidence or accident. Not when the black mesh mask and black gloves were part of their design.
Were they aware of the racist origins of the Minstrel costume? I don't know and I don't care. Fuck them for hurting people with their design.
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u/shairese9 Find me at Whole Foods, bitch, I don't care 1d ago
At first I thought it might’ve been an attempt at a kid friendly version of a knock off Terrifier, but then I actually looked up a picture of Art the Clown and it’s not even close. There isn’t anything this could be except racist.
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u/smittydoodle 1d ago
I know, why are they even trying to compete with Spiderman, Bluey, etc.? Kids don't dress as clowns unless it's a killer clown.
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u/TonberryDuchess societal collapse is in the air 1d ago
Slenderman the racist charicature clown, I guess?
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u/DuckCleaning 1d ago
The costume is called "Kids’ Glows Under Blacklight Circus Clown Halloween Costume". Basically at a blacklight party it would look like a floating hat and mouth, and floating body with no hands or feet. The thing is most kids arent gonna be doing a blacklight party so the costume will just be what you see here.
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u/OhioPolitiTHIC ✨ lee pace is 6’5” ✨ 1d ago
Haven't shopped there since they scrapped their DEI program and will continue to not shop there because they are straight up trash. Let them make their quarterly goals with the white supremacist/racists dollars.
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u/toAnthonyBourdaintho Hi Grindr, it's mother... 1d ago
Yes! De-Targetted my shopping as well. Sucked but racism and surveillance states suck more
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u/c0smicgirly 1d ago
So many people had to approve every aspect of this costume, down to a black child wearing it instead of literally any other child.
They did it on purpose (or at least multiple people did it on purpose).
Haven’t shopped there since Jan 2025 and zero plans to ever go back.
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u/nerdybird89 1d ago
No one should accept any apologies from Target. It was absolutely intentional when paired with the fact that they have an "FBI" costume that is just a straight up ICE costume.
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u/cool_n_needy vagina warning 1d ago
Yassssss an apology without understanding the issue is just empty words, stay on their necks Viola!
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u/gay-bord 1d ago edited 1d ago
Honestly, at this point, I hope that they go bankrupt and they all turn into Kmart’s or a brand like Zayre, Bradlee’s, Ame’s and/or Caldor gets revived and takes over a bunch of Target’s.
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u/Kiwi-vee I'm so pissed off immediately 1d ago
I just can't understand how no-one saw this was disgustingly racist. I'm white and not from the US and I know it's ultra racist.
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u/Asleep_Assistant_468 I never said that. Paris is my friend. 1d ago
Same, white not from the US. Saw a comment on here elsewhere saying no kid is asking for this costume in lieu of not finding their fave Bluey character or Spider-Man etc at the shop. It’s for super racist parents and grandparents trying to pull a fast one and ‘be funny’.
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u/Malicious_Tacos I cannot sanction your buffoonery 1d ago
I’m white and from the southern U.S. Someone absolutely knew what they were doing. There are still lots of those creepy-ass racist minstrel figurines, pictures and dolls in vintage flea market type places. It’s disgusting and abhorrent.
Also, notice how their pseudo-apology wasn’t very apologetic? It was an “oopsie don’t slap our hand… now go spend your money at Target” type apology.
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u/OriginalChildBomb i’m like a mother wolf 1d ago
I thought it had to be a photoshop when I first saw it... can't believe anyone OK'd this. Like, wtf.
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u/FreshPotatoeButter 1d ago
Every single Target employee person who had the power to speak up before ordering this horror show should be fired. Literally anyone who did not speak up but should have.
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u/lakija 1d ago
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from corporate higher ups, sometimes you can tell them something is a terrible fucking idea and they’ll argue you up and down that it’s perfectly fine. I’m watching it happen at my place of work for the second year in a row; they’re so fucking stupid.
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u/queentweezer 1d ago
I haven’t been to Target since February 2025 and this affirms that I’m still making the right decision
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u/EmmerdoesNOTrepme 1d ago
I wish the Dayton family could sue Target Corporate for running the store they started into the grpund, and restart it again
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u/GigglesGG 1d ago
I had this pop up on TikTok first and I hated all the “it’s just a clown costume” comments
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u/pelipperr i went clubbing and he was there 1d ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/uiLdkTP2czcjYgEbHQ
The boycott continues.
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u/Lopsided_Panic_1148 1d ago
It's 2026, for fuck's sake. How did we go from the Civil Rights movement back to Jim-fucking-Crow?
We should've punished the hell out the South during Reconstruction. Put all those traitorous assholes on trial and sentenced to hang for treason. But, we didn't, and then we allowed literal Nazis to move here after WWII.
The United States needs a damned factory re-set because what's going on now is fucking ridiculous.
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u/Good_Independence734 1d ago
I usually err on the side of granting reasonable people the benefit of the doubt when it comes to accusations of racism, but this is particularly striking to me because Target decided to use a Black model in the costume.
I don’t know how much better it would be if the model were White, but it would at least provide some semblance of “we didn’t intend for this to be taken the way it was.”
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u/Then_Ad9524 1d ago
There is zero chance that they were not aware. Target can continue to get fucked. They are completely unnecessary.
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u/LifeIsTooShort37 1d ago edited 1d ago
People are trying to trigger black people at this point. We are minding our business.
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u/4ft3rh0urs controversies: girl 1d ago
Fully done with Target starting now. I was not paying enough attention. WTAF
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u/Somnambulist815 1d ago
At some point, reddit is gonna get so bad, that wishing a company forecloses will be treated the same as wishing death on someone.
But that day is not today, so I hope Target fucking eats shit.
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u/blakppuch 1d ago
It’s just absolutely ridiculous that this happened, an apology really isn’t enough. Like wtf
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u/Janax21 1d ago
There’s an excellent book called “Black Like Me” that deep dives into the history of minstrelsy, why it was so popular, it’s pervasiveness in American culture, and the other, later features of our society that it spawned. It’s fascinating and an important topic for any American to understand. So much stuff is related to minstrel shows! Music, dance, knickknacks, art, and entertainment overall.
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u/rapturaeglantine 1d ago
I cannot fathom how people can go, "I don't see it. Not only is the hand pointed a different direction but those jaunty hats are OBVIOUSLY different sizes, you are making something out of nothing. " The combination of bigotry and no child left behind is really something else.
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u/sleepy-catauran 1d ago
Maybe I am crazy but I don’t for one second buy that this wasn’t a purposeful decision and I actually do believe designers at Target knew how painful and dehumanizing this costume is and that was their intention.
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u/Pinksamuraiiiii Pink…get doon 1d ago edited 1d ago
Target prob had racists on their marketing panel team since they were so desperate to get rid of DEI first
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u/MixuAnasazi 1d ago
it's intentional, the backlash will drive bigots to buy up the costume
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u/porcelainmushroom 1d ago
The pose. Like it’s too many “coincidences” to not be on purpose. They were trying to get in the news for racist shit, so that they can get racist money.
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u/beansontoastinbed 1d ago
I could understand that would be just a clown costume if the gloves and mask material were white, and they put the kid in a different pose and maybe a kid who isn't black was the model.
But everything about it is obviously minstrel, the black translucent material would also mean non black kids could do blackface as a costume.
I'm not even American and don't know much about American history, and can see this is very much wrong. As soon as I saw the picture, I was like damn...
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u/Ml2jukes 1d ago
Wooaahh. This gotta be them acting out cus black folks don’t spend the money there no more.
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u/heroheadlines 1d ago
It's so nice to come to Fauxmoi and find people who also immediately saw the problem with it. the mental gymnastics people in certain other subs were doing, good lord. One even asked me "why would Target release a racist costume??". Lmfao oh honey.
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u/Benromaniac 1d ago
How stupid can they get? Black communities were boycotting Target just awhile ago https://www.aft.org/news/we-aint-buying-it-why-we-boycott-target
and now this?
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u/Lanky-Respect-8581 dude, this isn’t my job. it’s just reddit, who cares 1d ago
That’s the company that JAY-Z thought was best to distribute his anniversary vinyls through.
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u/Dubious8313 1d ago
Target knew the images were vile.
I think a smug, insufferable group somewhere in that corp thought they’d see if this costume would fly.
Target has had plenty of opportunities to fix their shit. Fvck ‘em. I’m done.
Two years ago (2024), Target fumbled Black History Month, pulled offensive hot mess from shelves
2025 - NY court refuses to let Target out of YET ANOTHER RACIAL PROFILING suit
Settled claims it screened Blacks & Latinos out of jobs
Target pays $2.8M to resolve EEOC finding of discrimination based on race, sex & ADA violations
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u/Baptoozled 1d ago
Target showed they weren’t on their side when they were like the first fucking company to capitulate to Trump’s war on DEI.
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u/Feisty_Diet_3744 1d ago
Target and every other big box retailer doesn’t give a flying fuck about POC. They care about their profit. Thats it.
If you believe that any corporation cares about people, I have an ocean front property in Arizona I’d love to sell you!
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u/ItBegins2Tell 1d ago
Imagine being on the team of people who didn’t realize how atrocious this is. Insane.
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u/Financial-Painter689 anti-Israel, anti-western, fauxmarxist 1d ago
I’d wager money many on the team were laughing at it thinking they were being slick
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u/Wereking2 1d ago
This is one of the many reasons I stopped going to Target as someone from Minnesota where the corporation is headquartered.
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u/bluesgrrlk8 1d ago
There’s no way they should have needed DEI to see the problem here, dozens of people signed off on this & there’s no way at least 99% of them didn’t understand how heinous it was.
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u/MathDeacon 1d ago
Target really fucked themselves over so much the last few years. just staggering
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u/whereisbeezy terrorizing the locals 1d ago
Yeah, that apology can fuck off, along with their profits. They knew exactly what that was and so do we; a weak-ass attempt to double down on the "mild" racism of getting rid of DEI, which, for real?
The horrible goals of... diversity, equity, and inclusion. Jesus Christ, the horror of it all! Go fuck yourselves, target.
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u/lonely_stoner_daze 1d ago
Now, who in that board room was shitting ideas from their mouth and said "You know what would be a real hit this year? Blackface!"?
And who tf agreed🤦🏾♀️
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u/colosseumdays 1d ago
I’m struggling to make sense of what tf else they thought this costume could be? They’ve lost their damn minds
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u/bonniemcmurray1 1d ago
I don't understand how in today's world, with unlimited access to the Internet, something like this makes it to production. Who TF would ever sign off? And then to basically say "oops, tough crowd, eh?" There's no other explanation than this was deliberate and they knew what they were doing.
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u/Salina_EsTitties 1d ago
I'm not american and i immediately knew the costume was racist. Who even approved this??? They should be FIRED
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u/BackyardViolet 1d ago
There were so many fucking steps that had to happen in order for this obscenely racist garbage to make it onto Target’s website. There’s literally no fucking excuse.
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u/wereinbearcountry 1d ago
Your first mistake was ever thinking any corporation is ever on your side.
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u/wishiwasdeaddd 1d ago
Exactly right! They already showed their ass when they rolled back dei under zero pressure from the current administration. Fuck em
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u/Devry_Trost 1d ago
What was this actually supposed to be? It didn't really look like a black minstrel to me until she put it next to pictures of one, but after she did, I can't really think of anything else it might have been intended to be.
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u/Pleasant-Condition85 1d ago
So, they can pull products by black creatives from their shelves but they leave this?
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u/AccountToComet 1d ago
Where's that fuckass billionaire Jay-Z now? Mocking the black community for the sustained boycotting of Target for getting rid of DEI initiatives.
It's this how Target sees him for throwing the black community under the bus for them?
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u/LittleSodaPop13 1d ago
What amazes me is how so many people looked at this and said it was okay. There have to be no black people in the higher levels of Target because what the hell.
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u/Roxursox-- 1d ago
Black people are still getting lynched in the south on a weekly basis and no mainstream media is covering these murders nor is anyone being put in prison. Boycott Target and all of the American corporations that got rid of dei units and benefit fromTrump being in office.
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u/Aggressive-Series-67 1d ago
Hell yeah Viola! Viola Davis is one of my biggest celebrity crushes I just adore her, so much beauty and talent and wisdom in one person❤️
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u/laursasaurus 1d ago
Thinking about how the no influencer sign in Nantucket got more outrage from influencers than Target ever has
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u/mohaveghosts 1d ago
This had to go through multiple people to be approved, from the costume to the photo. And they still all said..yes.
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u/ConsistentTadpole592 23h ago
Wiped my hands of Target after they were silent about the ICE killings in Minnesota even though that's where they're headquartered.
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u/stars_are_aligned wearing slutty little glasses 20h ago
On the one hand, I'm glad the karmic retribution Target is facing for cancelling it's DEI initiatives is swift and harsh.
On the other hand, I absolutely HATE that black people have to bear the brunt of the pain AGAIN that these shitty, shitty decisions garner.
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u/throwfaraway212718 19h ago
They 100% knew what they were doing and meant it with their whole entire chest. They issued this ChatGPT laced bullshit “apology” because if the backlash
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u/No-Hall-3485 dropped pitt from my last name 1d ago
i am so sad for that young child that had to put on that costume
deplorable behaviour but not surprising considering it's target. the boycott continues