This Is Why R29’s Unbothered Is Collaborating With Target

Dear Unbothered family, 

Right now, we’re watching as the world makes a major — and much-needed — shift. We’re seeing the kind of reckoning many of us have only read about in history books or heard from our grandparents. But it’s happening. Right before our eyes. And at this very moment, we are members of the movement. 

But we didn’t just join the movement yesterday. We’ve been here, and we’ve been doing this work. And our content is an imperative reflection of the tireless effort Black women put in every day — at work, at home and on the front lines of social justice. 

Months ago, the Unbothered team set out to launch a campaign that would celebrate Black life and our relationship with all things summer: barbecues, beaches, bathing suits, and more! We hoped to examine the history and the myths associated with Blackness and our relationship with the water, from shutting down the notion that Black women don’t swim, to finally putting the thought that Black people don’t need sunscreen to rest, to celebrating the communities where many Black folks travel in fellowship and revel in the joys of summer together. But when we realized the devastating effect COVID-19 was having on our communities, we knew we had to serve our audience in a different way. So we shifted. And when the social demonstrations in response to the horrific murders of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, Oluwatoyin Salau, and so many more started — we knew there was different work to do. 

That is how​ Keep That Same Energy ​was born. This campaign came to life as we navigated the ongoing challenges and changes we so often sustain as Black people. As content creators, we know that our art is a reflection of our lives. And it is our responsibility to bring our audience content that is both relevant and riveting. With that said, we are proud to bring you a platform to celebrate the positive momentum of change by sharing the stories of Black women who are reclaiming joy, defying stereotypes, and proving that summer 2020 definitely isn’t canceled. We are celebrating our Black existence and joy as an act of resistance, and we are doing it in proud partnership with Target. 

We don’t just work with anybody. We think about who we’re working with and why. This is especially true right now, but it always has been. We take our platform and our responsibility seriously, and we know it is our jobs to challenge brands to support and celebrate Black women genuinely. I am personally proud to work with a company like Target that has not only supported an unprecedented number of Black-owned brands and Black business owners in their stores, but that has also been a consistent partner to the Unbothered team as this program has evolved. As a brand of Black women working tirelessly to change our own company culture, we stand proudly with the Black employees at Target working to do the same at theirs. Together, Unbothered and Target want to send the strong and necessary message that the most impactful way to serve our community and ourselves during this integral time is to “keep that same energy.” 

So that is what we’re going to do. We’re going to keep celebrating our skin and our unique gifts, we’re going to keep pushing for our joy and our freedom, we’re going to keep experiencing the beauty of summer the way Black people always have. And we’d like for you to come along for the ride with us. Trust me, it’s worth it. 

Stay safe. Stay sane. Stay Unbothered.
Danielle