Target Is Fast Becoming the New Bud Light
Target's turn to be on the receiving end of similar action.The retailer, the seventh largest in the country, recently came under fire from conservatives for including "tuck-friendly" swimsuits in its collection of clothes for the 2023 Pride season.
Tuck-friendly clothes allow transgender women who have not had gender-affirming surgery to conceal their private parts.The swimsuit had the power to immediately throw Target into the middle of the same culture-war storm that hit Bud Light in early April, when news emerged of a paid sponsorship deal with Mulvaney.
A TikTok star who became famous by sharing her transition journey on social media with her "365 days of girlhood" series, Mulvaney posted a video on her Instagram showing a commemorative can featuring her image that Bud Light sent her to celebrate her first year of womanhood.The deal sparked an outraged reaction from some conservatives who accused the brand of betraying its core customers and their values, with many calling for a boycott of the brand.The controversy caused by the promotional deal with Mulvaney and subsequent backlash proved damaging for Bud Light and parent company Anheuser-Busch, as industry data shows that sales of Bud Light declined more than 17 percent in April.Now, likely galvanized by the results obtained by the boycott of the beer brand, calls to give Target "the Bud Light treatment" are growing over the retailer's "tuck-friendly" swimsuits.The item has become hugely controversial on social media since its release in stores, especially as many falsely claimed that the item was aimed at kids or was available in kids' sizes.
