Netflix Defends ‘Cuties’ As ‘Social Commentary’ Against ‘Sexualization Of Young Children’

Netflix encouraged people to watch the movie in a statement Thursday, saying it is a “social commentary against the sexualization of young children,” and “a powerful story about the pressure young girls face on social media and from society more generally growing up.”

Director Maïmouna Doucouré told NPR she hopes people criticizing the movie watch it first: “After that, they will see that we have the same fight and we are all together about that issue of hyper-sexualization of our children and protect our children.”

Doucouré won this year’s World Cinema Dramatic Directing Award at Sundance for the film which is about an 11-year-old girl who goes against her family’s traditional values by joining a dance group.

The film has received positive reviews since its release August 19, including from The New Yorker’s Richard Brody, Vulture’s Bilge Ebiri and Rolling Stone’s David Fear, who said the marketing did it a disservice. 

Others, including the Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh and conservative advocacy organization Parents Television Council’s Melissa Henson condemned Netflix and the film for sexualizing underage girls. 

The backlash started when Netflix promoted the film in advance of its September debut on the streaming service with a poster showing the young dancers posing provocatively that was widely criticized on social media and in an online petition, leading Netflix to apologize, saying the artwork was not representative of the movie.