Netflix has often pushed the bar when it comes to delivering original content. But one of its latest offerings, the French film Cuties, has earned Netflix massive backlash, for allegedly crossing the line in its portrayal of young girls.
According to the backlash that Netflix is facing, with #CancelNetflix trending on Twitter, people believe the film sexualizes young girls, heading into the category of ‘exploitative’ content.
What happened #Netflix ? Like seriously? Children must be protected from abusive thing such as like this. Violence against children takes many forms. It can be physical, emotional or SEXUAL.
— Gothicaiza (@gothicaiza) September 11, 2020
The world is officially fucked. This is worst! #CancelNetflix pic.twitter.com/C3b3Z2x96R
.@netflix please explain why you are platforming content that sexualises 11 year old children. By showing little girls perform sexualised dance moves in revealing costumes, you are reducing them to sex objects and mainstreaming paedophilia. https://t.co/3UGF5xyd1L
— Sister Outrider (@ClaireShrugged) September 10, 2020
#Cuties #CancelNetflix
— Jasira (@thatheadass_j) September 11, 2020
OK I did not know Netflix was gonna go this far…… that movie was doing ok until they got to the 43 minute mark when the little girls started humping the floor, grinding on each other I am putting their fingers in their mouths… pic.twitter.com/sNL7SKwJUU
Petition to Remove Cuties From Netflix #CancelNetfilx https://t.co/ycwy4WylJm
— 𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞៹¹¹ RM forever🌱 (@rosieverse) September 11, 2020
Cuties (French: Mignonnes) is the feature directorial debut of director Maïmouna Doucouré and is described as a coming-of-age comedy-drama.
Based on Doucoure’s short film Maman(s), Cuties premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the world cinema dramatic directing award.
The film explores the life of a young 11-year-old girl, who joins a “free-spirited dance clique”, to escape her dysfunctional family’s oppressive ideals.
The film first faced criticism for its original poster, which Netflix eventually took down and apologized for, but did not remove the film from the platform. It released on September 9.
There are countless stories @netflix could have chosen to tell about young girls going on adventures, supporting one another, and being children. But with Cuties @netflix teaches girls to view themselves as sex objects. And that’s not remotely acceptable.
— Sister Outrider (@ClaireShrugged) August 20, 2020
We’re deeply sorry for the inappropriate artwork that we used for Mignonnes/Cuties. It was not OK, nor was it representative of this French film which won an award at Sundance. We’ve now updated the pictures and description.
— Netflix (@netflix) August 20, 2020
Currently, a petition has been started on Change.org, asking for people to cancel their Netflix subscription.
The petition states that Cuties is one of the many films and shows on the platform promoting ‘inappropriate behaviors’, ‘exploiting children and mocking religion’.
However, Netflix has responded to the allegations, stating that Cuties actually offers a social commentary against the sexualization of young children. According to Variety:
Cuties’ is a social commentary against the sexualization of young children. It’s an award-winning film and a powerful story about the pressure young girls face on social media and from society more generally growing up — and we’d encourage anyone who cares about these important issues to watch the movie.
You can watch the trailer of the film here:
The film is currently streaming on Netflix.
