'Cowardcore:' Everyone Is Noticing The Same Thing About Target's Pride Merch

They're not the only brand wimping out on Pride this year, at a time when pride is needed more than ever.

Target seems to be letting everyone down these days: First, the retail giant faced criticism ― and a national boycott from Latino and Black consumers ― after alerting employees that it would end the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) goals it had made to hire and promote more women and people of color “in step with the evolving external landscape.”

The protest has led to a loss in foot traffic and Target CEO Brian Cornell admitting last month that the companies’ sluggish first quarter was partly due to consumers’ reaction. (Tariffs and a global trade war didn’t help, either.)

Now, Target is catching heat for releasing Pride merchandise that many feel is distinctly lacking in pride, and near close to rainbow-less.

“Target’s bold ‘Pride’ collection this year features a colorless hoodie with the words ‘Out Loud & Proud’ written teeny tiny only [on] the string,” TV writer and actor Ben Siemon wrote in a post that went viral on Bluesky over the weekend.

The post included a screen grab from the Target site, showing a woman in an oatmeal-colored hoodie with drawstrings that read “Out Loud & Proud.”