February 1, 2024
Salty Karen Targets Target’s Black History Month Campaign
A Target shopper drew backlash for calling the store's Black History Month campaign decor "insufferable."
February’s annual Black History Month celebrations are already being attacked by a “Karen.” A Target shopper posted on X to voice her seemingly biased frustrations at the store’s campaign featuring Black children and art to honor the occasion.
The woman, who goes by Deb Fillman and proclaims herself as an education analyst, went to the social media app formerly known as Twitter to express her disdain for Target’s new Black History Month campaign. While her account has since been locked due to the immediate backlash, The Neighborhood Talk shared screenshots of her words to its Instagram account.
“Target is insufferable. Had to do a return and can’t wait to leave” shared Fillman. The X user also released photos of the “Black Beyond Measure” decor she found distasteful. The images included a young Black girl wearing a hoodie from the collection alongside a T-shirt with images detailing elements of the culture and a feature highlighting one of the Black-owned fashion brands.
However, upon being called out for her racist rhetoric at the sight of a young Black girl being proud of who she is, Fillman shared her additional response, suggesting that it wasn’t the girl’s Blackness that bothered her.
“This b*tch said no such thing,” expressed the woman. “She’s lovely. The sweatshirt is reducing her to her skin color, and that’s gross. It’s also Marxist claptrap.”
Some commenters agreed with Fillman’s words, with one stating that they believe Target is pandering to Black consumers for the holiday.
“Eh, I actually feel the lady. Are the proceeds going to anything that furthers the black community, or are they just about to profit off of this “Black Joy” marketing?”
However, naysayers who frequent the store relayed that Target regularly hosts items created by Black designers and highlights their work year-round, making this narrative and Fillman’s point moot.
“Just an FYI, Target sells black designer items all year round. They keep the black designer clothing in the front of the store at that,” explained a commenter.
According to USA Today, various stores have been called out for their exploitative practices by only highlighting these Black-owned brands during specific holidays, including Juneteenth. However, given that Target does showcase its diverse brands year-round, delegitimizing this campaign that celebrates Black History Month mainly takes away from those it is meant to uplift. Furthermore, as a white woman who boasts websites that promote anti-Critical Race Theory merchandise, it can be assumed that her take is not one of good faith.