Target and 3 other brands that sparked controversy

Target is currently under fire for its LGBTQ collection for Pride Month. Shoppers, especially conservatives and Republicans, are urging for a boycott. Pride month is coming up in June, and the brand collaborated with LGBTQ artists to launch a collection. It has sparked a feud online as many are branding it as a way to groom kids.

This type of controversy is not new. Previously, Bud Light came under fire following an ad campaign featuring a transgender influencer named Dylan Mulvaney. Many luxury brands like Dior and Balenciaga have also been getting massive criticism from the online community.

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Target and 3 other brands that came under the public scrutiny

1) Target

Target was one of the brands that managed to withstand the difficulties of the pandemic and soared high. However, their recent Pride collection has sparked so much controversy that many fear their sales will go down like Bud Light.

Since many pieces of the collection include clothing for children, conservatives are accusing the brand of grooming behavior.

A video was posted on social media where one Target T-shirt had the slogan “Trans people will always exist," and another T-shirt had the slogan "Busy thinking about girls." Quite naturally, it has sparked a slew of homophobic comments, with many deciding to boycott Target. Many went as far as to brand LGBTQ ideas as "abnormal" and "disease” (via. Newsweek). One anti-LGBTQ group, Gays Against Groomers, even went on to tweet:

"They are indoctrinating and grooming them with LGBTQ ideology. It is highly inappropriate and disturbing."

However, many lauded the brand for its inclusivity and are standing tall with Target to support them. Many LGBTQ fans lauded Target for being inclusive and keeping in mind Pride Month.

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2) Balenciaga

Balenciaga recently came under colossal fire after they released an advertisement with children in bondage accessories.

Balenciaga immediately issued an apology saying:

“We sincerely apologize for any offense our holiday campaign may have caused. Our plush bear bags should not have been featured with children in this campaign. We have immediately removed the campaign from all platforms.”

The images featured minors with teddy bears on their hands that are adorned with leather harnesses which are typically associated with bondage. In some of the shots, pretty adult things like spiked collars and wine glasses were also seen.

Needless to say, Balenciaga was thrashed all over social media by netizens. Although Target had mainly complaints from main conservatives, Balenciaga was criticized by everyone, with many calling it grooming behavior and sexualization of children.

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3) Dior

Dior has been in a lot of controversies over the years and recently faced backlash. Dior has been accused of racism, cultural appropriation, and much more.

Dior's controversy began with an Instagram post in 2023, where an Asian woman was seen lifting her eyes. It is considered derogatory gesture toward Asians, and Dior came under a lot of fire.

The brand has been involved in controversies for decades. Many Chinese audiences called out Dior for appropriating Chinese culture when Dior released a Chinese horse-faced skirt under their label in the fall of 2022 without giving appropriate credit for the inspiration.

If one goes back to the past, in 2019, Dior’s perfume brand Sauvage and its advertisement featuring native-American imagery were seen as deeply offensive. According to The Guardian UK, many scholars found it a prominent case of appropriation. The French name Sauvage translates to "wild" or "savage" in English, and many found it racist toward Native Americans.

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4) Walmart

Walmart brought upon itself a huge controversy with just a T-shirt. It created absolute mayhem on social media as many found the shirt offensive and derogatory.

The shirt had a simple word RE in capital letters and the following words, Cycle, Use, New, and Think. The capital letters from these words form the word c*nt, which many did not take lightly.

However, Walmart has removed the shirt and issued a statement saying:

“This was not intentional, and the T-shirt has been removed.”

Although it was not intentional, Walmart took over the internet with just a small T-shirt and went viral in a matter of seconds.

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From Target to Balenciaga, no matter how big or small, they have been part of controversies. Although Target’s pride collection acquired praise from many, a lot of conservatives are trying to boycott the brand for being an ally. Only time will tell what the fate of the brand will be.