A new Netflix film ‘Cuties’ has sparked outrage for showing children dressed provocatively and twerking on camera.
The French film revolves around an 11-year-old Senegalese Muslim girl named Amy, who joins a twerking competition at school, upsetting her mother and going against her family traditions, while attempting to embrace her ‘burgeoning femininity’ through ‘sensual dance moves’.
Despite not yet making it to Netflix, Cuties, which has an NC-17 rating – the US’s strictest movie rating that means nobody under the age of 18 can watch it – has already received major backlash for ‘hyper-sexualizing’ minors thanks to its incredibly provocative trailer and poster.
Fury: A new Netflix movie, Cuties, has prompted outrage from viewers for ‘sexualizing’ children after a poster and trailer showed tween girls twerking in crop tops and hot pants
Controversy: Twitter users have blasted Netflix for showing the French film, which tells the story of an 11-year-old Senegalese Muslim girl, Amy, who joins a school dance group
Upset: One person pointed out that the Netflix poster for the movie (right) is far more provocative than the original French version
The movie’s official synopsis reads: ’11-year-old Amy lives with her mom, Mariam, and younger brother, awaiting her father to rejoin the family from Senegal.
‘Amy is fascinated by disobedient neighbor Angelica’s free-spirited dance clique, a group that stands in sharp contrast to stoic Mariam’s deeply held traditional values.
‘Undeterred by the girls’ initial brutal dismissal and eager to escape her family’s simmering dysfunction, Amy, through an ignited awareness of her burgeoning femininity, propels the group to enthusiastically embrace an increasingly sensual dance routine, sparking the girls’ hope to twerk their way to stardom at a local dance contest.’
In the Cuties trailer, which was posted on the official Netflix YouTube account on August 18, Amy – who is portrayed by 11-year-old newcomer Fathia Youssouf – is seen trying to balance her strict religious upbringing with her newfound friend group, all of whom appear to be intent on pushing boundaries by acting and dressing in a way that is far beyond their young years.
A once-shy Amy is seen growing in confidence – dressing more provocatively, acting against her mother’s wishes, and eventually stealing money to fund a shopping trip for her and her friends.
At times the tween stars are seen acting like the young girls they are, giggling, having fun and playing – however these scenes are mixed in with clips of the girls practicing overtly sexual dance moves and experimenting with provocative poses.
Panned: In the trailer, Amy (seen in the green T-shirt) joins a group of dancers at her school, and the young girls are seen practicing provocative dance moves and sexy poses
Pushing boundaries: The young stars model incredibly adult outfits throughout the trailer
‘Reprehensible’: Social media users have been quick to slam the trailer – while calling for the movie to be banned from Netfix before its September 9 premiere
Anger: Some people have called out Netflix for choosing to highlight the most provocative aspects of the movie in an apparent attempt to gain more interest
Towards the end of the trailer, the four young stars are seen in what appears to be their final dance performance, for which they don incredibly skimpy outfits – metallic crop tops and tight spandex hot pants – before twerking and body rolling in front of a panel of adults.
These are also the outfits that the youngsters are wearing in the Netflix poster for the movie – which one Twitter user pointed out is far more ‘sexualized’ and provocative than the original French version.
Unlike Netflix’s marketing materials, the original poster for the movie, the one that is used by sites like IMDB, features a seemingly-wholesome picture of the girls shopping together.
‘It’s interesting to compare the French version of the Cuties poster to the American version… like the French version has more “kids having fun!” vibes, while the American version is just f*****g…. gross,’ the user pointed out, while sharing a side-by-side comparison of the two posters.
‘I feel like the #Netflix marketing team has a lot to answer for.’
Another person called out the fact that even Netflix’s blurb about the movie fails to highlight the fact that Cuties is meant to be a commentary on the fact that young girls are being increasingly ‘hyper-sexualized’ by society – instead choosing to focus solely on its young star’s ‘fascination with twerking’.
Accusations: One Twitter user pointed out the fact that Netflix appears to have purposely emphasized the more provocative aspects of the movie in its marketing materials
Innocent: Unlike the Netflix poster, which shows the pre-adolescent stars in skimpy outfits, the original French version depicted the youngsters on a shopping trip
Provocative: The Netflix blurb also focuses on the more sexualized aspects of the movie, describing how an 11-year-old becomes ‘fascinated with twerking’
Contrast: On IMDB, the movie’s description doesn’t mention twerking, and instead talks about how Amy’s decision to join the Cuties upsets her mother and her values
Difference: Even Wikipedia highlights the movie’s social commentary, with the site’s movie description noting that Cuties is meant to raise concerns about the impact of internet culture
Message: ‘The film is based on a traditional Senegalese Muslim girl who is caught and torn between two contrasting fortunes, traditional values and internet culture,’ Wikipedia states
‘The thing about the Netflix campaign for Cuties is how disgustingly sexualized these girls are,’ the person wrote.
‘Compare the poster and blurb from Netflix versus the ones on IMDb, s**t is as different as night and day. Someone should get fired.’
The Netflix blurb shared by the user says: ‘Amy, 11, becomes fascinated with a twerking dance crew. Hoping to join them, she stars to explore her femininity, defying her family’s traditions.’
However, on IMDB, the movie blurb doesn’t include any mention of twerking, instead detailing: ‘Amy, an 11-year-old girl, joins a group of dancers named “the cuties” at school, and rapidly grows aware of her burgeoning femininity – upsetting her mother and her values in the process.’
Even Wikipedia highlights the movie’s social commentary, with the site’s movie description pointing out how Cuties is intended to raise concerns about the impact internet culture can have on pre-adolescent girls.
‘The film is based on a traditional Senegalese Muslim girl who is caught and torn between two contrasting fortunes, traditional values and internet culture while also speaking about hyper sexualization of pre-adolescent girls,’ the description says.
Concerns: An online petition to have the movie removed from Netflix has received tens of thousands of signatures
‘Shame on you Netflix’: Social media users were left horrified by the trailer, in which a group of tween girls are seen dancing provocatively in skimpy outfits
However, while some have chosen to call out Netflix’s portrayal of the movie, others have insisted that the incredibly mature content of Cuties is the issue.
Audiences have started a petition to have Cuties removed from Netflix, which has received almost 20,000 signatures.
Others have shared their outrage on social media, with dozens of Twitter users voicing fury about the sexual nature of the movie – and Netflix’s decision to promote Cuties through provocative imagery.
One Twitter user wrote: ‘This is f***ing disgusting. Minors shouldn’t be sexualized like this.’
Another added: ‘I’m all for discussing those import[ant] issues, but we don’t have to sexualize young girls to discuss the sexual of young girls. Too much of it happening for real. No need to have it happen for fake.’
The film was directed by Maïmouna Doucouré, a French-Senegalese screenwriter and filmmaker. Maïmouna received the Directing Award for ‘Cuties’ at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival.