Netflix has come under fire after releasing a trailer and promotional image for an upcoming film featuring 11-year-old girls in a hypersexualized dance group.
The story follows the journey of a young girl named Amy, who in defiance of her family’s conservative beliefs starts to “explore her femininity” through “twerking.”
Merriam-Webster defines “twerking” as “sexually suggestive dance characterized by rapid, repeated hip thrusts and shaking of the buttocks especially while squatting.”
Promotional artwork released with the film’s trailer was also slammed for picturing scantily-clad children in suggestive and sexualized poses.
What hell are we living in now?
— Obianuju Ekeocha (@obianuju) August 20, 2020
Children are being hypersexualization by @netflix, a major streaming service.
This is reprehensible. pic.twitter.com/urm626vt8L
A petition, created on Wednesday calling on the streaming service to remove the film from their library has since attracted close to 90,000 signatures.
“This movie/show is disgusting as it sexualizes an ELEVEN-year-old for the viewing pleasure of pedophiles and also negatively influences our children,” the petition says.
“There is no need for this kind of content in that age group, especially when sex trafficking and pedophilia are so rampant! There is no excuse, this is dangerous content.”
Following the widespread backlash, Netflix updated the promotional artwork and the description, saying the poster was not an accurate representation of the film.
“We’re deeply sorry for the inappropriate artwork that we used for Mignonnes/Cuties. It was not OK, nor was it representative of this French film which won an award at Sundance. We’ve now updated the pictures and description.”
We're deeply sorry for the inappropriate artwork that we used for Mignonnes/Cuties. It was not OK, nor was it representative of this French film which won an award at Sundance. We’ve now updated the pictures and description.
— Netflix (@netflix) August 20, 2020
Despite the outrage, the streaming-service decided it would not remove the film from their library.
