When your heart can't find the words, you would hope a card will convey your feelings for those you care about most. Unfortunately, this Father's Day card featuring the words "Baby Daddy" obtrusively scrawled across an image of a black couple was not suitable for the task.
Target clearly missed the mark by signing off on the card's racial insensitivity. The giant retailer issued an apology and yanked the offensive card from their stores after a barrage of customer complaints.
The term "Baby Daddy" is used to refer to a father who is not married to the mother of his child and is hardly used as a term of affection.
@MsLiciaYvette @Target The guy in the card even has a fresh fade....yeah Target is wrong for this and it does look… https://t.co/4UIOhrxWJZ— Emmanuela (@Emmanuela)1528892611.0
@MsLiciaYvette @Target We never see cards with Black ppl on them and the one time we do it’s got BABY DADDY bold af… https://t.co/tEX2blsQbb— K'Dione (@K'Dione)1529013666.0
Target faced a few issues while making amends in advance of the approaching holiday. They weren't quick enough.
So the whispers down the lane were that @Target was supposed to remove the “baby daddy” card. Low and behold as of… https://t.co/Aneutlz9ve— Miss Pope (@Miss Pope)1528940725.0
The retailer responded and apologized on their Twitter page.
@Pomac We were made aware of some concerns about this card last week and are working with our vendor to have it rem… https://t.co/QHkujPzeWM— AskTarget (@AskTarget)1528978577.0
American Greetings, the company that created the card, also issued an apology.
This particular card was created for, and addressed to, a loving husband — which the inside copy makes clear. However, we now see that the front page, taken out of context, can communicate an unintentional meaning that we are strongly against perpetuating and is not consistent with our company purpose and values. We should do better in the future, and we will. We have notified our store merchandisers to remove the card from the shelves and apologize for any offense we've caused.
How did the card get the approval for sale in Target stores? One user had a theory.
@AskTarget @Pomac @AskTarget and @Pomac your insensitivity lies in that you don’t have diversity Or people of diver… https://t.co/cq6zBmpiqp— Anna (@Anna)1528994973.0
@janicelee9 @MsLiciaYvette @Target Yes i actually did post my comment on the American greeting website as well as T… https://t.co/4ZdFe6Vv7d— Takeisha Saunders (@Takeisha Saunders)1528898146.0
@M_R_Cox pointed out that the phrase doesn't pay a respectable tribute to fathers, regardless of ethnic background.
@MsLiciaYvette @Target For the sake of inclusion...I'm a married white husband & father of 3 beautiful children I a… https://t.co/ayYDd0SYS6— Matthew R. Cox (@Matthew R. Cox)1528901206.0
Target has pulled a "Baby Daddy" card from its stores, following outrage on social media https://t.co/rYfYZtCtoi https://t.co/GfF39sDG0H— Social Life N Sydney (@Social Life N Sydney)1528960338.0
H/T - HuffingtonPost, Twitter