Target pulls Halloween costume that drew comparisons to blackface caricatures, apologizes

Target has removed a children’s Halloween costume from its website after social media users pointed out that it closely resembled imagery from Jim Crow-era blackface minstrelsy. The $25 costume—listed as “Kids’ Glows Under Blacklight Circus Clown Halloween Costume Bodysuit”—featured a black-and-orange harlequin pattern alongside a mask featuring an oversize, exaggerated smile. The product’s marketing photograph showcased a Black child wearing the costume while holding a pose that people said…