Target is facing criticism after a TikTok video posted by a physical therapist showed a pair of Champion-branded sweatpants sold at the retailer that the poster said created an unflattering and vulgar shape when worn.
Dr. Marcy Crouch, who works in women's health, held up the light tan pants in the clip and said a friend had purchased them from Target's girls' section. The garment featured a thick elastic waistband and front pleats, including a central pleat that, when stretched while she tried the pants on, appeared to form a shape Dr. Crouch said resembled female genitalia. "When I'm talking to you, this is what you see," she says in the video, adding a message to Target: "Do better." She captioned the post, "Someone made the decision to make this, and then multiple people in multiple meetings approved it."
The pants are part of a collaboration between Champion and Target. The TikTok clip, which has been shared on social media and picked up by news outlets, prompted users to question the design choice and the process by which items are reviewed and approved for sale.
Crouch identified herself as a physical therapist with expertise in women's health in the video and used that perspective to highlight why she found the design problematic. She demonstrated how the pleat stretched when the fabric was worn and framed her criticism as a call for retailers and designers to be more attentive to how clothing shapes appear when worn.
The clip added to a broader conversation on social media about apparel design and marketing decisions in retail, particularly items targeted at girls and women. The post renewed attention to how children’s and women's clothing is reviewed before reaching store shelves.
Target and Champion did not provide statements about the item in the video in the reporting tied to the clip. There has been no public notice of a recall or removal tied to the pair shown in the TikTok as of the time the video circulated.
The episode follows a pattern in which consumers use short-form video platforms to highlight and critique products, prompting retailers either to respond publicly, alter listings, or remove items after widespread attention. In this instance, the criticism centers on questions of product design and approval processes rather than manufacturing or safety concerns.