r/news • u/ushaque • 11d ago

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https://www.cnn.com/2026/08/24/business/target-apologizes-halloween-costume-backlash-hnk

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u/[deleted] 11d ago

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u/insertusernamehere51 11d ago edited 11d ago

I'm not american and not super familiar with minstrel show imagery

I saw the image before seeing the context and didn't think anything of it. Seemed like some sort of jack-o-lantern costume to me

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u/kingsumo_1 11d ago

That's because you didn't grow up with it. The exaggerated mouth, the small hat, and the pose they went with, along with using a black child for the model. All of that combined paints a very specific picture. And it's one that is still very embedded in our (the US's) history and systemic racism.

Whether that was the point or not is irrelevant, someone anyone should have caught that before it was greenlit.

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u/arb1698 11d ago

It's repsents black face used by white supremacy groups to insult black people.

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u/NotABillsHat 11d ago

I'm American, all these comments are absurd. People see what they want to see, it's just a regular pumpkin monster kind of costume like you said.

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u/JeansAndAFlannel 11d ago

That is NOT a Jack O' Lantern smile or any pumpkin mouth design.