Thursday 23 December 2021

The Target Dress Challenge


Target came in for a lot of ridicule last year 
when it inexplicably carried a line of these
old timey, gawdawful dresses in its stores. 

But predictably, the internet rose to the occasion 
with true "Little House on the Prairie" resourcefulness!

Here are some of my
favourite photos from the resulting
"Target Dress Challenge!"


To hell with outdated gender norms!


Chickens are this year's 
popular fashion accessory!


I think I know what's for supper tonight.


Time to shovel manure again? 
The woman on the end 
is clearly getting into it, LOL!


Build us a log cabin, Ma!


Always remember to 
take joy in life and friends!


Oh, such a saucy milkmaid!


This next one is my personal fave!


Don't mess with Bunny Girl.
She'll cut a bitch!

(*sigh*)

Now that's my kinda woman!

52 comments:

Moving with Mitchell said...

The things we miss without Target. Actually, I recently came across a Target in our town. But, it’s an independent boutique with nothing like THAT fashion sense.

Travel said...

Never mess with someone's bunny! The older I get, the more I wonder why anyone wears anything other than jeans and a T-shirt.

Marie Smith said...

Lol. Hilarious. I missed that trend! Darn!

Mistress Maddie said...

The Mistress don't be caught doing this challenge I can tell ya. And the lady couple is enough to scare one.

Val Ewing said...

And that would be a dress I'd be proud of!!! Love it!

Boud said...

These are wonderful! I wonder who was the target, sorry, audience for the dress? The dress-up box works.

Bob said...

I dare say they look better on the he men than the women.
And what was Target thinking??????

Magaly Guerrero said...

Oh my goodness, these are hysterical! I probably shouldn't have read them while sitting next to my sleeping Piano Man. Bwahahaha!

Marcia LaRue said...

Looks like they are made for the Warren Jeff's cult in Texas ... FLDS I think it is! Bad hairdos and ugly dresses!
Those poor chickens and bunnies!

Sixpence Notthewiser said...

I would love to get to know the saucy milkmaid, I believe.

I laughed all the way.

XoXo

Frank said...

Can't believe they actually purchased these outfits just to pose for a photo. But #8,#9 is more my type.

coffeeontheporchwithme said...

Those are hilarious. I like how these people got right into it. (I had no idea about these Target dresses). Sad thing is, I could probably re-create some of these pictures myself (minus the gun and the dress). -Jenn

Busy Bee Suz said...

Oh my goodness. What were the designers thinking? The dresses are hideous, but the Challenge was hilarious!

Ur-spo said...

This was hands down the best thing I've seen all week.
Thank you!

Sandi said...

HAHHHAHHAH!!! 😂

Mike@Bit About Britain said...

Never heard of Target, but I'm guessing it's a clothing brand. Loved those photos! Merry Christmas!

e said...

Hoot! These are hilarious! Those are some very enlightened menfolk getting into the fun. Bunny girl and her sidekick, Long-gun Lucy, would be formidable foes if one were trying some rabbit rustling.

I missed this whole thing. Just not dialed in to the zeitgeist, I guess. The dresses are truly hideous but the fabric they are made of would be great for making quilts.

Thanks for another year of levity and laughs, Debra!

Tundra Bunny said...

When every member of a family can wear the same dress, it must save a lot of money on the ole clothes budget... and the Target crowd sure likes to save a dollar so they can buy ammo, LOL!

Debra She Who Seeks said...

@ e -- Hahahaha, Bunny Girl and Long-Gun Lucy, love it! And we just know they're a lesbian couple too, don't we!

Lady M said...

Holy Guacamole - this is why I don't buy my clothes at Target.

Leanna said...

Bwaaahahahaahahahaahahaaahahahahaaa! OMG! Now I know why I don't shop at Tar-zhay.

Old Lurker said...

I like the dresses. The ones with short sleeves are somewhat immodest, but they are better than these modern fashions that leave nothing to the imagination.

Mike said...

Target is just preparing women to get their Handmaid's Tale outfits. This is just an interim step.

Jeanie said...

Absolutely brilliant!

CraveCute said...

Somehow I missed these, but they are very "Cottagecore" so I get it. The pictures are pretty great too!

Katrina said...

Ahahahaha oh I love this so much 😂 (although I actually like the dresses, ssssssshhh! I'd look absolutely ridiculous in them though, I just don't have the right saucy milkmaid panache...)

Polly said...

oh my word they are truly horrible dresses, but ... I have to admit to wearing similar ones decades ago!! Love the challenge, I bet they had fun modelling them.

Joanne Noragon said...

I don't shop Target. Pretty darn funny.

peppylady (Dora) said...

It seems the only time I go in Target is when I'm in southern Oregon, seeing my son and his family.
Sort of reminds me of gunny sack dresses, back in late 70's or early 80's
Coffee is on and stay safe

Miss Val's Creations said...

This is hysterical! I live such a sheltered life avoiding news and most social media that I never realized this Target dress situation even occurred!

Richard said...

Haha that was funny. I don't know if it is ok to mention here, but over on Bored Panda they have a bunch of photos. Funny.

Debra She Who Seeks said...

@ Richard -- Yeah, I think Bored Panda is where a lot of these came from originally.

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

Haha. These are a hoot and a holler.
Thank you, so funny.

Ol'Buzzard said...

Reminds me of my old Kentucky home.
the Ol'Buzzard

Parnassus said...

Hi Debra, You know the world is changing when Christmas is scarier than Halloween!
--Jim

Adam said...

I can't wait to try mine on

Sue Bursztynski said...

Chuckle! Very resourceful! Though I doubt Target cares after selling all those dresses and having thm promoted on social media…😂

roughterrain crane said...

Merry Christmas!
I wish you good health and happiness.

RO said...

I saw some shorter versions of these today in Walmart, and started to buy one!(lol) I sure hope you're all doing well, and wishing you a Merry Christmas with lots of hugs, RO

Empty Nest Insider said...

Love your opening line, as well as the darling frontier models! I actually prefer high necklines, and long sleeves. I definitely believe less is more at my age. Thanks for another entertaining post! Merry Christmas and all the best in 2022! Stay healthy, Debra!

Julie

Kirk said...

Drag's not the same without lipstick and eye liner, though I suppose they didn't have that stuff on the frontier.

Seriously, though, it was really the other way around. Doing some research on the history of cross-dressing a few years back, I came across numerous stories of either woman trying to pass for men in the Old West, or not necessarily trying to pass but still dressing and acting the part (Calamity Jane being one well-known example.)

Rain said...

OMG too funny...the guy with the stubbie and the rake is the best lol!!! Happy Holidays to you and your Rare One Debra! Lots of love!!! ♥♥♥🎄

Magic Love Crow said...

These are fantastic!!! Love them all!!! Big Hugs!

Guillaume said...

They were going for a Handmaid's look.

Liz Hinds said...

I noticed that style around this year. When was it ever popular?! (Thinks back, actually my honeymoon dress was ...)

The Blog Fodder said...

I'd wear one of those proudly.

baili said...

i found these dresses " okay " honestly :)

though i had so much fun while looking at them with your perspective lol

and i agree with your line "oh yes my kind of women " at last :)

This N That said...

Hilarious.. I neglected to get myself a prairie dress..

Barbara said...

Hilarious. I didn't know anything about these dresses or the reaction. The pictures are worth a million.

Kathleen said...

Oh my gosh, photo #7 of the Target dress challenge, believe it or not, the gal standing on the stump with a crosscut saw has got to be one of my neighbors in Yacolt, WA! I can see TumTum Mt. in the background!! Is there some way to verify?

Debra She Who Seeks said...

@ Unknown -- Very cool that you recognize the setting for that photo! I don't know how to check the details of who the dress model is. My only suggestion is to try a photo image search on Google to see if that photo turns up on that person's Facebook page or something. But then again, such a search would probably generate a gazillion results from the FB pages of everyone and their dog who ever posted it.

Rommy said...

Is it bad that I kind of want one of those dresses? :D I'm sure I could rock that Oregon Trail vibe.