"We made a mistake": American retail giant under fire for racist children's costume
The Target chain stopped selling the "Circus Clown" costume after social media users criticized it, claiming it resembles racist caricatures. Target stated: "We are deeply sorry. The costume is offensive and should not have been sold at all."
American retail giant Target has pulled a Halloween costume from its shelves after critics claimed it used "blackface" — makeup used to portray a Black character in a racist manner.
The costume, marketed as "Kids' Blacklight Glow Circus Clown Halloween Costume," sparked a wave of outrage on social media, with commenters saying its design resembles racist caricatures. The product image, which cost 25 dollars and was removed from the Target website, showed a Black child in an orange-and-black outfit with a ruffled collar, black gloves, and a face covering mimicking a wide, exaggerated smile.
"We knew we made a mistake — and we are deeply sorry"
"As a company, we know we made a mistake on this, and we are deeply sorry," Target said in a statement on Monday. "The costume is offensive and should not have been part of our assortment. It is no longer available for sale."
The chain added that the costume was "especially offensive to our Black customers, team members, and partners," and that it is "closely reviewing how this happened and what needs to change to ensure it does not happen again."
It should be noted that last year, the company faced criticism for its decision to scale back many of its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, amid sweeping moves by the White House to eliminate such programs in the public and private sectors.
