Target Picks Unfortunate Name for Plus-Size Dress
By Cynthia Herbert :: 1:06 PM
Big-box retailer Target set off a firestorm online earlier this week with the naming conventions for one of its Mossimo kimono-style dresses.
The Target website is selling what it calls a Kimono Maxi Dress in two different versions, a regular sized one, and a plus size one. What they chose for one of the names of the colors is what started the controversy.
On the regular size dress category, the grey color is called “heather grey.” For the same exact dress in the plus size category, the grey color was referred to as “manatee grey” – not the best choice of words for a plus size article of clothing now, is it?
Target’s website has been corrected since the online community loudly pointed out the misstep – they grey color for the plus sized category of the dress is now simply referred to as “grey.”
The company apologized directly to the online community on Twitter as well as releasing the following statement:
“We never want to offend any of our guests. We apologize for any discomfort that we may have caused. We are in the process of fixing the discrepancy and updating Target.com so the gray dress will be available in all styles. We’re working on updating our systems right now. We’ll use this instance as a learning experience so we can do better moving forwardâ€
This season, Target is using the color “manatee grey” for items other than clothing, including bedding and towels. Those items will still be referred to with the “manatee” label – however, going forward, Target will ensure the color is not used for apparel items.