Netflix has received a major backlash over the Cuties poster that sexualized kids. The movie is based on an 11-year-old girl, Amy who is a part of a dance group called “the cuties.” The coming-of-age film has already garnered the World Cinema Dramatic Directing Award at Sundance this year.
Amid the online criticism drawn because of kids wearing crop tops and short shorts striking poses while dancing in their dance uniforms, Netflix apologized on Aug. 20.
“We’re sorry for the inappropriate artwork that we used for this film. This was not an accurate representation of the film so the image and description have been updated,” the statement reads. Apart from the statement, Netflix also took Twitter to apologize for the artwork.
“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’s official account tweeted.
The description of the Cuties reads, “Amy, 11, becomes fascinated with a twerking dance crew. Hoping to join them, she starts to explore her femininity, defying her family’s traditions. Eleven-year-old Amy starts to rebel against her conservative family’s traditions when she becomes fascinated with a free-spirited dance crew.”
Meanwhile, there are petitions signed against the movie to stream on Netflix. Till now, more than 52,000 people have signed the petition online.
“As we are becoming more aware of the horror of child sex trafficking, and child sexual abuse we need to come together to end ALL forms. One way we can achieve this is to cancel shows and movies that exploit our children! The movie Cuties shows children dressed provocatively, dancing sexually, and is rated only for adult viewers. It was created for the entertainment of adults who are pedophiles. Please sign the petition to protect our children from exploitation in movies,” the petition reads.
The director of the movie, Maïmouna Doucouré has opened up about the film’s inspiration. “There were these girls on stage dressed in a really sexy fashion in short, transparent clothes. They danced in a very sexually suggestive manner. There also happened to be a number of African mothers in the audience. I was transfixed, watching with a mixture of shock and admiration. I asked myself if these young girls understood what they were doing,” she told Screen Daily.
“I came to understand that existence on social networks was extremely important for these youngsters and that often they were trying to imitate the images they saw around them, in adverts or on the social networks,” she continued. “The most important thing for them was to achieve as many ‘likes’ as possible.”
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