Target’s ‘Annie’ Ads Stir Up Controversy

Target is fighting back after being criticized for “Annie”-themed clothing ads showing a white model as Annie, as opposed to an African-American model, or Quvenzhané Wallis, the actress who plays the character in the holiday remake.

LaSean Rinique told Yahoo she launched a Change.org petition after her daughter, an “Annie” fan, noticed that a girl in the ads sporting Annie’s signature red dress and locket was white, unlike Wallis, who appears alongside Jamie Foxx in the movie remake.

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But Target told FOX411 in a statement that at least one African-American model was featured in their “Annie” campaign.

“Girls from a variety of backgrounds were featured within the campaign, reflecting that anyone can embody the spirit and character of Annie,” a store rep stated and supplied a photo showing one of the models is African-American.

In her petition, Rinique demanded Target remove the ads and issue an apology to Wallis.

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Rinique was quick to post a response to Target’s explanation on her petition page.

“I appreciate the time taken to respond; however, if they feel that ‘anyone’ could embody the spirit of Annie . . . where is our face?” she wrote. “We figured that Ms. Quvenzhane could not model for the line; however a reasonable facsimile of Ms. Wallis would have been nice!”