‘Cancel Netflix’ Backlash Grows Over ‘Cuties’ Film’s Sexualization of Young Girls

NewNews<br /><br />Controversial French film “Cuties” — about a young Senegalese girl in Paris who joins a “free-spirited dance clique” to escape family dysfunction — has spawned a new backlash against Netflix by critics who allege it goes over the line in portraying children in a sexualized manner. The hashtag “#CancelNetflix” was the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter in the U. S. Thursday, after “Cuties” premiered Sept. 9 on Netflix. A petition on Change.org calling on Netflix customers to cancel their subscriptions over “Cuties” and other content on the streaming service “that exploits children and creates a disturbing vibe,” currently has nearly 600,000 signers. Netflix did not respond to a request for comment. Criticism erupted in August over a promotional poster for “Cuties” depicting its young cast members in provocative poses and revealing costumes. Netflix at the time apologized for the image. “We’re deeply sorry for the inappropriate artwork that we used for ‘Mignonnes’/’Cuties,’” a Netflix rep said in a statement to Variety. “It was not OK, nor was it representative of this French film which premiered at Sundance. We’ve now updated the pictures and description.”“Cuties,” from French filmmaker Maïmouna Doucouré, premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the world cinema dramatic directing award. The film is based on Doucouré’s short film “Maman(s),” about an 8-year-old child furious when her polygamous dad invites his new bride into their Parisian apartment, which won the short film international fiction jury award at Sundance in 2016. Per the Sundance description of “Cuties,” the film “nimbly depicts the tweens’ youthful energy and vulnerabilities while exploring their fumbling eagerness to be identified as sexualized. Fathia Youssouf captivates as Amy, shifting like a chameleon between the different identities her character is juggling and deftly anchoring the film’s immensely watchable, vivacious young cast.”Mary Margaret Olohan, a reporter for conservative publication the Daily Caller, early Thursday tweeted a video clip of the girls in the film dancing suggestively and twerking, commenting, “Netflix is comfortable with this.<br /><br />All data is taken from the source: http://variety.com<br />Article Link: https://variety.com/2020/digit....al/news/cancel-netfl