The Target Boycott, or The Irrational Fear Of Change
I have always been a supporter and fan of Target, and not just because I am a stereotypical white woman with an undulating love for cutesy wall art and decorative pillows that don’t even match my current apartment decor (although, let’s be real, that is the main reason). My loyalty to the Target brand was solidified when I heard the department store chain was no longer going to separate the toy aisles by gender. This is great news for a lot of reasons. It helps both children and parents curtail the asinine idea that boys and girls should play with specific toys. It also allows little boys who want to play with baby dolls and little girls who want to play with plastic trucks point them out without feeling like they’re in the wrong aisle.
But somehow, people are furious over this change in aisle and inventory organization.
A lot went through my mind when I saw these ridiculous responses to Target’s change, and I tended to agree with the responses from the fake Target Help account .
The easiest way to sum up my reaction to this insanity comes down to one word: why?
People will always be offended by anything that rivals their ideas of normativity, but this especially rings true for gender normativity. When Caitlyn Jenner came out as a transgender woman, people posted insulting jokes and tirades about her public transition on social media. People have always been angered and disgusted by transgender or gender-fluid people freely expressing themselves; transgendered people are by and large the most disenfranchised group in the U.S., and are incredibly often the victims of violent crime, according to this report by GLAAD, published in 2014.
By now, we know we can expect new ideas to bother those with more traditional views. But are anger and violence appropriate responses to the notion that gender assignment may not be as simple as the biological organs we have at birth?
What these agitators fail to recognize about transgender people and gender-neutral store aisles and anything else that challenges their concepts of the Western gender binary is that it does not affect them in any way. Sure, they’ll have to correct themselves when their nephew gently reminds them that they’re actually their niece and would prefer to be referred to with female pronouns. Yes, they’ll have to search a little harder for that limited-edition Barbie doll since it’s no longer easily located in the aisle that’s painted pink and marked “GIRLS’ TOYS.” But beyond that, how does any of this affect them? The answer is quite simply “It doesn’t,” but that still doesn’t change the way these people react when their ideas are challenged.
It comes down to a fear of progress. It stems from a fear of change.
So many of us are wary of change. Parents have a hard time accepting when their children move out of the family home for good. Friends have a hard time moving far away from each other and losing touch. People have a hard time changing careers. Change is scary to a lot of people. But in the case of the gender binary, change is not only a good thing — it’s a necessity. Just like the parents, the friends, and the young adults facing change in their lives, gender purists need to eventually accept that change is here, it’s a positive, and it’s not going to hurt anyone. In fact, they should eventually embrace the change, for it only serves to help those who need it the most.
Until the day people start embracing this change, stores like Target are taking steps in the right direction by nudging those afraid of forward motion in the direction of a more accepting future.
Kathleen is a twentysomething aspiring TV writer and independent filmmaker. She is passionate about feminism, education, and politics, and can often be seen trying to balance a cup of coffee in one hand and a huge bag of camera equipment in the other. You can find her on Twitter here.
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