By: Ciarra Williams
I know we have only a few days left in February, but I couldn’t let the month end without sharing my thoughts on Target’s 2022 “ Black Beyond Measure collection”.
As much as anyone I love Target, it’s become one of my favorite shopping places to go where I trick myself into thinking I will make a quick trip after coming out almost an hour later.
Every time I say I am just going to get five things, I come out with a cart filled with almost everything, and sometimes I even forget why I came there in the first place.
But something felt different about this last visit, although I’ve seen their previous collections and I’ve fallen in love with their representation of brown entrepreneurs. Something about this year’s 2022 campaign gave me a feeling that I needed.
You see, when I grew up, we had a very minimal representation of people of color. I am only 29,it shows how things are slowly progressing over time, but I recall going to stores feeling out of touch, left out like I didn’t belong.
At one point, there was a time when women of color could barely find products for our hair, make-up, and body shapes. I remember being a little girl going to stores and going to a small “ textured section “/corner that rarely carried anything I wanted, let alone needed, and I would think to myself, out of all of the people of color around the world, this is all we get?
As time went on, things have slowly progressed, and to be honest, the issue of representation for people of color still has its uphill battle, but Target has given me a sense of peace knowing things are progressing and that’s what matters.
Going through the store and seeing an entire area filled with music, books, clothes, and accessories touched my heart in a way I can’t even begin to explain.
You can never understand the value of seeing yourself through isles until you recall a time when you couldn’t see yourself in anything. It’s the reason why I wrote this article.
I am afro-Latina and a brown girl, and if I am honest, my confidence has blossomed over the years . It took time to appreciate all of me. Maybe it was society or just how I viewed myself growing up, but it’s something magical about seeing someone like you in ads and magazines.
Going around the store, you not only see black-owned businesses and products but they also highlight the owners with pictures of them pretty much everywhere.
It was truly a liberating experience that got my gears to grinding, and here I am writing this article
If you need to go for a Target run I suggest you take a visit yourself if you haven’t already and let me know your thoughts.
Here’s the link if you prefer to shop online: https://www.target.com/c/black-beyond-measure/-/N-4utaz
