Target, the woke retailer formerly loved by suburban moms around the country, just experienced a painful stock market correction, seeing a $9 billion decrease in its market cap amid consumer backlash over both a women’s swimsuit marketed as being “tuck friendly” and a Pride collection designed by an apparent Satanist.
How bad was that stock market correction? Over the course of just a week, Target’s stock price declined from $160.96 to $141.76, as the New York Post reported, saying:
A week ago Wednesday before the controversy erupted, Target’s stock closed at $160.96 a share, giving the big-box chain a market capitalization of $74.3 billion.
As of early trading on Thursday, however, shares of the company were trading off 1% at $141.76 — capping a weeklong tumble that has shrunk the “cheap chic” discount retailer’s value to $65.3 billion.
That amounts to a 12% drop that has shaved a whopping $9 billion off the company’s market capitalization.
The Daily Wire, reporting on the Satanist designer and the pride collection that caused quite the stir, said:
Abprallen, the artist hired by Target to create the controversial items, had designed a mini messenger bag with the slogan “We Belong Everywhere,” a tote bag with the phrase “Too Queer For Here,” and a sweatshirt emblazoned with “Cure Transphobia, Not Trans People” for the nationwide retailer. Other products featured on the artist’s website, which were not sold by Target, included a T-shirt with the phrase “Satan Respects Pronouns” and a design of a skeleton draped in rainbow colors that said “Trans Witches For Abortion.”
“Satanists don’t actually believe in Satan, he is merely used as a symbol of passion, pride, and liberty,” the artist said on his website, which now appears to be temporarily shuttered. “He means to you what you need him to mean. So for me, Satan is hope, compassion, equality, and love. So, naturally, Satan respects pronouns. He loves all LGBT+ people.”
Why did @target hire a Satanist to design pieces for their recent "Pride" clothing line?
WTF👉🏽"Satan loves you and respects who you are… LGBTQIA+ people are so often referred to as being a product of Satan or going against God's will, so fine. We'll hang with Satan instead." pic.twitter.com/FLsNZNzHNa
— Scarlett Johnson (@scarlett4kids) May 20, 2023
There was also the “tuck friendly” women’s swimsuit, which caused the original Target stir and hope among conservatives of making it the next Bud Light. Reporting on that on The American Tribune, we said:
Joining fellow woke companies Bud Light, Ford, Starbucks, and Adidas, among many others, Target has now infuriated conservative customers with a female swimsuit that it promoted as being “tuck friendly” and having “extra crotch coverage.”
Fox News Digital, reporting on the swimsuits and the advertising for them, along with Target’s firm stance on the side of the left in the culture war, said:
Target has a history of being at the forefront of woke identity politics. The retailer sparked a boycott in 2016 after it posted a public statement declaring that “transgender team members and guests” are permitted “to use the restroom or fitting room facility that corresponds with their gender identity.”
Target has had June Pride Month displays with rainbow and LGBTQ+ messaging for years, but the addition of female-style swimsuits that can be used to “tuck” male genitalia has outraged many online. The products, which can be found in a special pride section in stores, are also labeled as “Thoughtfully fit on multiple body types and gender expressions.”
Commenting on that swimsuit and what it represents, Oli London, author of “Gender Madness” and a frequent commenter on such issues, said:
“Target is just the latest brand that has gone woke and made an ill-fated decision to alienate its customer base by pushing gender ideology into the faces of consumers. Only 0.6% of the population identify as trans so why is Target pushing these swimwear costumes with ‘tuck friendly’ designs and selling them in prime locations in their stores? The majority of men and Target customers do not want to ‘tuck’ their penis into a women’s swimming costume. I’m sure most men would find this uncomfortable and emasculating to say the very least.”
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