A woman’s health specialist took to social media to highlight an awkward design flaw in a pair of Target pants.
But it doesn’t take any special qualifications to see the glaring error, which is visible in the nether regions of the beige trackpants.
In the video, Dr Marcy Crouch holds up the trousers which are part of a collaboration between the sportswear brand Champion and Target USA.
She said that after opening them up, she was shocked to see a center pleat on the crotch area.
She then tries them on to show the obvious design flaw, which, when worn, stretches out in a way that at worst looks like a woman’s genitalia, and at best, resembles a terrible camel toe.
“When I’m talking to you, this is what you see,” she joked, dancing around in the pants to highlight the ridiculous detail.
She concludes the clip by simply telling the designers to “do better”.
“Wow, just wow Target and Champion, someone decided to make this, and then multiple people in various meetings approved it,” she pointed out in the caption.
Commenters took a lighthearted approach too, joking about the purpose of the pleats.
“I think you’re supposed to put your lip gloss in there,” said one.
“That’s a majora design flaw,” a different user chuckled.
“The VULVACITY,” someone else chimed in.
“Is the color called camel?” a different user asked.
Many people shared the same question: “Why did you buy them?” to which Dr Crouch replied, “A friend of mine got them for her daughter, didn’t try them on obviously, and then immediately brought them to me. I was like, I must have them”.
She joked that the next step is for her to wear them in public and film people’s reactions.
Reviews on the Target website also point out the same issue, with many customers sharing photos of themselves wearing the $30 pants.
“Absolutely terrible design!” one customer wrote.
“Looked cute on the hanger, but the pleats are … horrible. Will return,” said another dissatisfied shopper.
“The design in the crotch area is very unflattering and strange looking. Returning for sure,” a third wrote.
“Huge pleat cut at the crotch is super unflattering. Returning. We had a good laugh though,” quipped a fourth.
News.com.au has reached out to Target USA and Champion for comment.
Jokes aside, women often feel overlooked in the design process for everyday clothes, from things that are too tight-fitting, poorly constructed or awkwardly designed items that restrict natural movement.
Having few or no pockets in women’s pants is a common grievance, leaving women without a place to put essentials like phones or keys, while men’s clothing rarely lacks this basic feature.
Many women believe these issues arise because female bodies and comfort aren’t adequately considered during product development.
Fitness gear is another problem area, with restrictive or poorly designed pieces often affecting women’s ability to workout effectively.
A 2022 study found that 92 percent of women say uncomfortable activewear prevents their ability to focus during a workout, while 58 percent reported they needed to stop and adjust leggings.
As Dr Crouch perfectly summarized: “Clearly, no woman or vulva owners” are on many design teams.
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