Netflix accused of sexualizing preteen girls in ads for upcoming movie ‘Cuties’
Tens of thousands of people want a new movie removed from Netflix, saying it sexualizes young girls.
The French movie “Cuties” will premiere Sept. 9 on the streaming service A promotional photo for the film features four preteen girls in dance attire striking poses.
Netflix apologized Thursday afternoon for the promotional artwork it used for the film.
“We’re deeply sorry for the inappropriate artwork that we used for Mignonnes/Cuties,” Netflix said. “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.”
A Change.org petition calling for the movie to be removed had more than 98,000 signatures as of 4 p.m. Thursday.
“The movie ‘Cuties’ shows children dressed provocatively, dancing sexually and is rated only for adult viewers,” the petition reads. “It was created for the entertainment of adults who are pedophiles.”
The synopsis of the movie states it’s about “eleven-year-old Amy (who) starts to rebel against her conservative family’s traditions when she becomes fascinated with a free-spirited dance crew.”
Social media users pointed out that was not the original plot outline for the movie.
“Amy, 11, becomes fascinated with a twerking dance crew,” the original synopsis read. “Hoping to join them, she starts to explore her femininity, defying her family’s traditions.”
Others said the French poster for the movie featured more “kids having fun vibes,” rather than the American version that was later changed.
The first movie directed by Maïmouna Doucouré, “Cuties” won a directing award after it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. It received positive reviews, including by Screen Daily’s Fionnuala Halligan.
“The sight of twerking pre-teen bodies is explicitly designed to shock mature audiences into a contemplation of today’s destruction of innocence,” the critic wrote.
With its Netflix release less than a month away, some social media users say it should not be on the platform.
“It looks like this is blatantly sexualizing kids. Right?” one person tweeted. “Maybe let kids be kids.”
“A society that celebrates the sexualization of children, in any form, is doomed,” another user tweeted. “Absolutely appalling and grotesque stuff. Why is this being promoted by Netflix?”
This story was originally published August 20, 2020 at 10:09 AM with the headline "Netflix accused of sexualizing preteen girls in ads for upcoming movie ‘Cuties’."