Like millions of other Americans, I love shopping at Target. Which is why I was so appalled last week when I saw this “TROPHY” shirt proudly displayed in my local Target’s junior girls department.

Calling any woman, but especially the young girls who shop in the juniors department, a “trophy” is objectifying and demeaning. We are not things - we are human beings, and we cannot let huge, influential corporations like Target get away with such irresponsible behavior.

This is not the first time Target has been in hot water for sexism and gender bias, but it seems that they have not learned anything from their past mistakes. In a press release, a Target spokesperson called these shirts “a fun wink,” but I, along with thousands of other consumers, fail to see anything fun or funny about the message this shirt sends.

I wish I could say that the decision to make this shirt was a simple oversight, but the truth is that dozens of people had to approve this before it hit store shelves, and that is a serious problem. The fact that no one at Target had the judgment to see this as demeaning and objectifying shows their ignorance to their own market once again. The anger is not over just one t-shirt, but the repeated (and minimized) sexism toward female consumers.

You may say to yourself, "It's only a shirt, what's the big deal?" but I would respond by asking you to consider how strong words can be (especially to young people), and the power they have to both help and hinder. This shirt hinders progress made by thousands of advocates before us. It says that, despite being 'equal' on paper, we are still viewed as 'things,' and Target should not be profiting from that.