Is Target Offering ‘Tuck-Friendly’ Bathing Suits for Kids?

On May 19, 2023, anti-LGBTQ groups and commentators promoted the claim that Target was selling “‘tuck-friendly'” bathing suits for children.”

Viral videos referenced two items with a tag highlighting the bathing suits’ “tuck-friendly construction” and “extra crotch coverage features.” Such clothing is aimed at transitioning or non-gender-conforming people. Several viral tweets alleged that these products were what “you will find in the kid’s section” of Target. 

Both of these products can be found on Target’s website, and neither of them is designed for children. Claims that the products were for kids appear to come from an apparent disbelief in the notion that some adults are small, and the fact that some Pride collection displays were near a children’s clothing section.

“Either those are sizes for kids,” the Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh opined, “or for very, very, very small adults.” Newsmax and Daily Mail described the items as “seemingly designed for children.” The latter claim is based on the proximity of seasonal displays like the Pride collection to children’s clothing, and the fact that the seasonal display “includes items for babies and children.”

Kayla Castaneda, a spokesperson for Target, told The Associated Press (AP) that the “tuck-friendly” items are not available in kids’ sizes. “Both [Target] pages list the products as coming in ‘general adult sizing’ and offer adult XS as the smallest size for sale,” the AP reported. 

Because the product in question was not, in fact, designed for children or produced in their sizes, we rate the claim as “False.”

Sources