Netflix has reacted to the backlash it recently suffered over one of its latest films, Cuties.
Following Cuties‘ release on the streaming platform on Wednesday, September 9, 2020, there has been a wild outrage on social media, as users slammed Netflix for sexualising young girls.
The movie, which is unsuitable for children, however, centers on Amy, an 11-year-old Senegalese girl living in Paris who joins a “free-spirited dance clique” called the Cuties.
11-year-old children in the movie were seen performing highly sexualised dance routines and depicting the characters in other sexual situations, which parents and many social media users find really offensive.
As part of the backlash, an online petition calling on Netflix customers to cancel their subscription over Cuties and other disturbing content about kids on the service became a trend on social media.
For instance, on Twitter, #CancelNetflix was a top-trending topic in response to Cuties.
Reacting to the backlash, Netflix is encouraging critics to watch Cuties, saying the movie is only portraying the pressures young girls face in conforming to societal role models of female sexuality, and nothing more.
“Cuties is a social commentary against the sexualisation of young children,” a Netflix spokesperson said in a statement.
The statement read further: “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.”
