Target Is Fast Becoming the New Bud Light

Following a boycott of Bud Light, which was punished by its conservative customers for offering a paid sponsorship deal to transgender social media influencer Dylan Mulaney, it’s now 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.

A Target department store on May 17, 2023, in North Miami Beach, Florida. Calls to boycott Target over its “tuck-friendly” swimsuits have been growing in recent days. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

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. Target told the Associated Press that kids’ swimsuits in the Pride collection do not include the “tuck-friendly” label.

Referring to the children’s clothes on display at Target, Gays Against Groomers, which describes itself as an “organization of gays against the sexualization, indoctrination and medicalization of children,” wrote: “They are indoctrinating and grooming them with LGBTQ ideology. It is highly inappropriate and disturbing.”

“The only thing these people understand is money,” it added. “Target deserves the Bud Light treatment.”

Many on social media appear to agree.

“Target is far worse than Bud Light ever was. Time to boycott!!! Not hard for me. I never shop there,” wrote a Twitter user.

Right-wing podcast host Matt Walsh has joined the calls for a boycott, saying: “What Target is doing is far worse than anything Bud Light did. They are selling chest binders and ‘tuck-friendly’ bathing suits for children… We did it with Bud Light. Now it’s Target’s turn.”

Calls to boycott the retailer have been joined by Colorado Republican Representative Lauren Boebert, comedian Chrissie Mayr, and broadcasters Megyn Kelly and Tomi Lahren, among others.

The controversies around Bud Light and Target can be seen as a result of the spread of an anti-LGBT and anti-transgender sentiment that has recently spilled from the fringes of the far right into the mainstream.

Transgender people have been pulled into the culture wars, and their rights have come under scrutiny and debate, often with real-life consequences. Several Republican-led states across the country have moved to limit transgender youth’s access to gender-affirming health care, among other measures, in recent months.

The American Civil Liberties Union has tracked the introduction of 490 anti-LGBT bills across the U.S. in 2023 alone, including many targeting trans youth.

Brands trying to expand their audience and freshen their image, like Bud Light and Target, are navigating a tense environment. While experts have said that campaigns like Mulvaney’s provide an opportunity for brands to appeal to consumers in new markets, critics have accused companies of alienating their traditional customer base.

Shama Hyder, founder and CEO of public relations and marketing agency Zen Media, told Newsweek that the main rule brands should abide to is: “Know your audience.”

“Bud Light tried to do what every other brand is doing rather than stay true to their core audience,” she said. The company’s fault, she added, was “not managing their PR and public perception correctly.”

Target and Bud Light are not the only brands to have come under fire recently. In April, Nike was condemned by Olympic athletes Sharron Davies and Caitlyn Jenner for featuring Mulvaney in its marketing campaign promoting leggings and sports bras.

In the same month, whiskey maker Jack Daniel’s caused outrage after teaming with three drag queens for a Pride Month promotion—despite the campaign being nearly two years old.

But these campaigns also have their supporters. One Twitter user wrote that the “Target pride collection gets better every year,” while another said of a onesie with “gay” written on the back: “Losing my mind over this piece of clothing from target’s pride collection.”