Ted Cruz Falsely Claims Netflix’s ‘Cuties’ Shows Child Nudity In Call For DOJ Probe

Topline

 Sen. Ted Cruz, D-Tex., became the latest Republican politician to criticize Netflix for streaming the French film “Cuties,” calling on the Justice Department to investigate whether the film violated child pornography laws by exposing “a minor’s bare breast”—but that allegation is not true, and appears based on a false rumor.

Key Facts

Key Background

Before Netflix acquired “Cuties,” the independent French film had received mostly positive reviews and won an award at the Sundance film festival. The controversy began when Netflix released its marketing campaign for the movie, which used an image of the young girls posing provocatively. QAnon supporters, who believe President Donald Trump is fighting a child sex trafficking ring run by global elites, and outraged parents flooded the internet with calls to boycott Netflix over claims the movie “sexualizes” an 11-year-old for the “viewing pleasure of pedophiles.” Netflix eventually apologized and changed the poster and the description for the movie, which originally said the main character Amy “becomes fascinated with a twerking dance crew. Hoping to join them, she starts to explore her femininity, defying her family’s traditions.”

Crucial Quote

“Cuties basically makes the case that both the traditional rules of Amy’s family and the ‘freedom’ afforded by the internet to children who are too young to quite comprehend what they’re doing are different ways of controlling girls’ bodies,” writes Vox reporter Alissa Wilkinson.

Tangent

As QAnon rises in popularity and seeps into mainstream politics, social media has been filled with posts about the issue of child trafficking. Hashtags like #SaveTheChildren have been hijacked by conspiracy theorists. And in July, a QAnon-linked conspiracy falsely claiming furniture company Wayfair was secretly selling children trended on Twitter. Statistics cited by QAnon adherents, such as the fact that 800,000 children go missing every year in the U.S., have been debunked. In fact, the majority of perpetrators of child sexual abuse are someone the child or family knows, according to RAINN.