Social media is calling on subscribers to “Cancel Netflix” after the streaming giant moved forward with the release of Cuties. The film, Maïmouna Doucouré’s directorial debut, garnered fierce backlash earlier this month over the hypersexualization of young girls in Netflix’s promotional material for the film.
The film follows a young Senegalese Muslim girl split between her family’s traditional upbringing and her friends at school who are influenced by internet culture. Netflix’s initial description for the film read, “Amy, 11, becomes fascinated with a twerking dance crew. Hoping to join them, she starts to explore her femininity, defying her family’s traditions,” and was accompanied by a poster of the girls in revealing dance outfits. The streamer later changed both the description and the poster after receiving heated backlash online, issuing an apology “for the inappropriate artwork that we used for this film,” which they said, “was not an accurate representation of the film, so the image and description has been updated.”
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Despite that change, however, many subscribers felt the film’s release should be pulled altogether. As subscribers noticed that the streamer had instead chosen to ignore those calls and debut the film as planned on Sept. 9 – the film has received praise from critics, with Cuties receiving a 90% certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes – many took to social media to condemn the decision. On Thursday morning, “Cancel Netflix” was even trending as subscribers called on others to cancel their Netflix subscription.
How is this even legal??? How can anyone think that this would be a good movie to make? What kind of a person could sit through this and watch prepubescent children engage in sexually erotic behavior? This is absolutely NOT okay!
— Matt Agorist (@MattAgorist) September 10, 2020
#CancelNetflix pic.twitter.com/O8xfVYoHF0
Cancelling Netflix took only about 15 seconds.
— Nicole Pritchard (@empathyadoption) September 10, 2020
Spending my life trying to support adults & children who’ve endured trauma, I am physically shaking as I type this. Traumatizing children for profit is despicable & criminal & the consequences should fit the crime. #CancelNetflix
Unbelievable that they released “Cuties”. So child porn is ok now Netflix? Raise your hand if you agree this is disgusting 🙋🏻♂️#CancelNetflix
— David Fischer (@Gods_Warrior91) September 10, 2020
I can actually get behind #CancelNetflix. The way that they stood behind Cuties (basically a pedophiles’ legal dream movie) and ate the backlash knowing what they were putting out was bad, to say the least.
— octopus ⛩ (@SubToOptimus) September 10, 2020
Also, the fucking selection on Netflix has become garbage. Hulu ftw.
Netflix what the fuck is this and why would you allow this on your platform? This is very disturbing. The production team and the parents who allowed this needs psychological help. Get rid of this show.#CancelNetflix pic.twitter.com/gyk6uza5Ug
— Myth (@xoMythxo) September 10, 2020
Did @netflix just use our money to create pedophilic content ? #CancelNetflix pic.twitter.com/jeJ2V9hFbM
— Catalina (@CatalinaIvan13) September 10, 2020
Time to #CancelNetflix. Even if they remove “Cuties”, which they hopefully will ( and preferably sooner than later), it is absolutely inexcusable. pic.twitter.com/kmPBqC5Rqr
— Ryle Kittenhouse (@0cepi) September 10, 2020
My account is cancelled @netflix remove cuties, it’s a pedo show #cancelnetflix #netflixisoverparty #Netflix pic.twitter.com/PMc2OA5Cjm
— Nicholas Simon (@Nichola25980193) September 10, 2020
Um.. what the fuck??? I’m ill reading this. This isn’t something that should be forgotten when it stops trending #CancelNetflix #actuallycancelnetflix pic.twitter.com/pDo3ZUjfKW
— opinion account (@mysecacct) September 10, 2020
Fuck Netflix#CancelNetflix pic.twitter.com/33Qgo9btla
— Samboslice (@Samboslice13) September 10, 2020
Oh yeah..sure sexualize children totally doesn’t happen in this film. #Cuties #CancelNetflix pic.twitter.com/Tvyl2JQ5Zl
— LilLongMeat (@TrentDL2) September 10, 2020
I don’t need to watch Netflix’s ‘Cuties’ to know that they are promoting pedophilia. The trailer was enough! #CancelNetflix
— Julius Q. Giles (@TodayWithJulius) September 10, 2020
Netflix actually released #CUTIES, I refuse to fund this.
— David Bond (@davepbond) September 10, 2020
They won’t listen to petitions or common decency, they will listen to dropping revenues.#CancelNetflix pic.twitter.com/FzBOymlWBj