Netflix responds to 'Cuties' backlash: 'Movie is against sexualization of young children'

Netflix responded to the backlash of their new movie 'Cuties'. The French drama elicited the outrage since its first poster release, for showing teen girls in highly sexualized way.

By responding to the backlash, Netflix spokesperson said, '' 'Cuties'is a social commentary against the sexualization of young children, 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.''

Netflix also released a video titled 'Why', in which the film, writer-director Maimouna Doucoure explains why she made the film and said she considers it be “a deeply feminist film with an activist message” that is a “mirror of today’s society, a mirror sometimes difficult to look into”.

She got the idea after seeing a group of 11-year-old girls dancing in a way during a neighborhood gathering in Paris. Doucoure says, she spent the next year and a half meeting with hundreds of pre-teens to learn about how they felt about their femininity in today’s society, and how they felt about their self-image in the era of social media.

After its Sept. 9 release on Netflix, the movie received a backlash, that includes an online petition calling on Netflix customers to cancel their subscription and ban the streaming giant. The movie is about an eleven-year-old girl named Amy who starts to rebel against her conservative family’s traditions when she becomes fascinated with a free-spirited dance crew.