It is still August, Labor Day has not even arrived, and somehow America is already having a cultural argument over Halloween costumes.
Because apparently pumpkin spice season was not complicated enough.
Target apologized this week after pulling a children’s circus clown Halloween costume from its website following criticism that the outfit resembled imagery associated with blackface and 19th-century minstrel shows.
The product was listed as the “Kids’ Glows Under Blacklight Circus Clown Halloween Costume” under Target’s Hyde and EEK Boutique seasonal brand.
Criticism spread on social media, and Target quickly responded by removing the costume and issuing an apology.
“As a company, we know we got this wrong, and we are deeply sorry. The costume is offensive and should never have been part of our assortment,” Target said.
The company’s longer statement went even further.
“An apology from us: We pulled an offensive Halloween costume that should never have been part of our assortment. It is no longer for sale. As a company, we got this wrong, and we are deeply sorry. We know this is especially hurtful for our Black guests, team members and partners. Removing the costume is an important first step, and the company is looking closely at how this happened and what needs to change to ensure this won’t happen again.”
That is quite the corporate emergency response over a clown costume.
Target is free to sell or remove whatever merchandise it wants, of course. Private companies make those decisions every day. But the speed with which major corporations now race from social media outrage to full-scale public repentance has become almost comical.
Apparently, somewhere inside corporate America there is a giant red button labeled “ISSUE APOLOGY IMMEDIATELY,” and somebody starts pounding it every time angry posts begin circulating online.
The controversy also comes at an interesting time for Target.
The retailer has already faced political pressure from multiple directions after scaling back its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Target announced that it would wind down parts of its “Belonging at the Bullseye” strategy, including DEI goals previously established in three-year cycles. The company also moved away from a program designed after the death of George Floyd to support Black employees, improve Black customers’ experiences and promote Black-owned businesses.
Those decisions brought criticism from the left after Target had already spent years dealing with criticism from conservatives over other corporate cultural initiatives.
So now Target appears to have achieved the modern corporate dream: getting yelled at by everybody.
There is a broader lesson here about the strange relationship between corporations and political activism.
Businesses used to concentrate primarily on selling products customers wanted at prices customers would pay. Increasingly, major brands seem trapped in an endless cycle of cultural signaling, backlash, apologies, counter-backlash and carefully worded statements approved by several layers of public relations personnel.
Sometimes a clown costume is apparently no longer just a clown costume. It is a national controversy requiring corporate soul-searching before September even begins.
Halloween is still more than two months away.
At this rate, somebody should probably start reviewing the Thanksgiving decorations now. There may be a problematic ceramic turkey lurking in aisle seven.
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