Valentine's Day preparations at retail giant Target have taken an unexpectedly contentious turn, with a new line of seasonal sweaters sparking a fierce online debate and accusations of spreading anti-male sentiment.
The Sweaters That Divided Social Media
In the run-up to the romantic holiday, Target stores began stocking two distinctive sweater designs. The first featured a bold 'Dump Him' message in red letters across a pink background. Its counterpart was a light blue jumper with the phrase 'Emotionally Unavailable' written in black cursive script.
What the retailer may have considered playful, tongue-in-cheek fashion was quickly pounced upon after images and videos of the garments circulated on social media platforms. A significant number of users slammed the corporation, interpreting the slogans as a deliberate attack on men.
A Men's Rights Activist Leads the Charge
Leading the criticism was Lisa Britton, who identifies as a men's rights activist. She took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to voice her frustrations publicly. "I saw this sweater promoted at Target today," Britton wrote alongside a picture of the display. "Could you imagine if, in the month leading up to Valentine's Day, Target was spotlighting a 'Dump Her' sweater in the men's section? People would lose it. I'm so tired of this garbage."
Her post garnered a flood of supportive responses from individuals horrified by the store's decision. One commenter sarcastically remarked, "More women hating men propaganda. Gee shocker." Another stated, "Anti-male garbage. I stopped shopping at Target a long time ago." A further opinion added, "Misery loves company. Those without a man hate to see other girls happy in a relationship."
Defenders Push Back Against the Backlash
However, the criticism did not go unchallenged. Several social media users were quick to defend the jumpers and dismiss the outrage. One male reader directly rebutted Britton's stance, writing: "Here's the big difference: Men don't mind this stuff. We don't need you to be our champion of righteousness, Lisa. We're not harmed by words on a sweater."
Another added a call for perspective, advising, "At some point you'll just have to stop taking everything so seriously." This divide highlighted a broader cultural clash over humour, gender politics, and commercial messaging.
This is not the first time Target has faced controversy over its seasonal collections. Last year, the retailer came under fire for its Pride merchandise, after shoppers and staff noticed unfinished placeholder text on the clothing tags. The tags erroneously displayed generic Latin text commonly used by designers, such as "lorem ipsum," leading to accusations of being "tone-deaf" from some customers already disappointed by the brand's policies.
