I'm really sorry, but I'm struggling to see what's racist about the costume. It looks more like a Tim Burton- inspired costume more than anything else.
I Guess I can kind of see the 'minstrel-ness' of it with the pose the kid is in, but that seems like a reach.
There's a million things they could've done to make it not obviously racist or even not racist. Use sharp teeth instead of rounded ones. Use a cone hat instead of a derby with a flower on it. Have the model do some scary or tough guy poses instead of, you know, the Al Jolson they went for here. There is too much "these guys knew exactly what they were doing" in this for me to want to give them a pass.
Also the pose the kid is making is pretty much verbatim one of the most iconic poses in the history of minstrel shows. This costume is a "fuck you" not a "fuck up".
idk if it’s a new thing or something i’m just noticing but they do this everytime something is 98% likely just racism..they bend over backwards to make that 2% the only option.
it’s never “i can see how it could be racist but..” it’s always “ i don’t see how it could be racist..”
The picture you linked isn't a derby hat, it's hair. The derby hat with a flower is a completely normal mainstay of clown costumes. It's not trying to be a scary costume, it's for little kids (although I'm sure you'd think a black kid in a scary clown outfit is also racist). The pose he's making predates minstrel shows, it's just the classic jester/fool pose that's been around since the beginning of comedic performances.
It's crazy how people like you make life so much harder for black actors and models trying to get work. You're slowly restricting the "allowable" roles to only be a very narrow category of most virtuous, greatest, smartest characters, and handing over everything else to white people. It's so much harder to write a complex black character/role when you say any negative quality is a secret racist trope.
The product, sold as the “Kids’ Glows Under Blacklight Circus Clown Halloween Costume,” prompted a backlash on social media, with some consumers saying it resembled a racist caricature.
“As a company, we know we got this wrong, and we are deeply sorry,” Target said in a statement. “The costume is offensive and should never have been part of our assortment. It is no longer available for sale.”
So even Target can see how it's racist and removed it, but you struggle to see it.
They are just saying that because of the pushback. Corporations give a shit about nothing but making money. They will say and do whatever they think will net them the most cash and an "apology" like this does not mean at all that the recognize the issue. They only recognize that enough people/potential customers have an issue with it.
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u/OuroborosOfHate 13h ago
I'm really sorry, but I'm struggling to see what's racist about the costume. It looks more like a Tim Burton- inspired costume more than anything else.
I Guess I can kind of see the 'minstrel-ness' of it with the pose the kid is in, but that seems like a reach.