Actor-turned-social worker Hamza Ali Abbasi has expressed outrage over the upcoming Netflix show Cuties in his latest tweet. He slammed the upcoming Netflix series for sexualizing young teenage girls.
Hamza Ali Abbasi to cancel Netflix subscription?
The Netflix series has already garnered backlash from subscribers. Hamza Ali Abbasi is the latest to join the bandwagon. Hamza Ali Abbasi, in his tweet, said, “It’s horrifying to see a show in the mainstream blatantly sexualizing 11-year-old kids. If this show is still there by the next month, I am canceling my Netflix subscription and so should you.”
He also signed the petition titled ‘’Cancel Cuties on Netflix’’ circulating on social media. The actor posted the signed petition in his tweet.
Hamza Ali Abbasi also corrected a Twitter user who claimed that Netflix had already canceled the show. To which he said, “Not canceled. Netflix only apologized for the poster and changed it.”
Its horrifying to see a show in the mainstream blatantly sexualising 11 yr old kids. If this show is still there by next month..i am canceling my Netflix subscription and so should you.
Netflix: Cancel CUTIES on Netflix! – Sign the Petition! https://t.co/sk5eYbYRCX via @Change
— Hamza Ali Abbasi (@iamhamzaabbasi) August 31, 2020
The user then clarified that they were talking about their own Netflix subscription when they said, “already canceled’. They further added, “I hope Netflix sees sense and removes the show.”
Uproar on the trailor of movie
Cuties is a 2020 French coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Maïmouna Doucouré in her feature directorial debut. The film stars Fathia Youssouf, Médina El Aidi-Azouni, Esther Gohourou, Ilanah Cami-Goursolas, and Maïmouna Gueye. Maïmouna Doucouré had won the Cesar for her film Mamans in 2017- the same year she unveiled the screenplay for Cuties that won Sundance’s global film-making award, letting her develop it into a movie.
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
The plot follows the story of a young 11-year-old Senegalese Muslim girl, Amy, who is growing up in a working-class neighborhood in Paris. The girl founds herself torn between her traditional, conservative background and a group of a rebellious group of girls.
The trailer of the movie depicts the young girls twerking. It features girls in the flesh-baring tube tops and sexualized poses that stirred online calls for the cancellation of the movie.
A petition moving on the social media read, “This movie/show is disgusting as it sexualizes an ELEVEN-year-old for the viewing pleasure of pedophiles and also negatively influences our children! 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!”
Nearly, 150,000 people have signed the signature and called for the cancellation of the movie. Following the backlash, Netflix apologized for inappropriate artwork.
“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 wrote on Twitter on August 20.
I am deeply pissed and confused about how this movie got approved and is still on netflix and also won an award. I feel terrified for the young children's parents and for the whole crew that approved yhe movie. This thing netflix did was nothing but normalizing pedophilia.
— pj (@owshoot) August 22, 2020
A score of users engaged with Netflix and asked if the digital streaming platform supports pedophilia.
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“How does a movie sexualizing children get approved? Who signed off on this?” they asked.
In response, Netflix reportedly said, “We understand that not all stories may appeal to all our viewers, which is why we always invest in a diverse range of content from all over the world. We also provide ratings, synopsis, trailers, and controls to help our members make the right viewing choices for themselves and their families.”
However many have claimed that the backlash is coming from people who have not watched the movie yet. For many- it is a moving story of a young girl who is reeling on to find her place in between two cultures.
The supporters of the movie have argued that the film is a fresh addition to the distinct voices on the digital platform. Many have elaborated Cuties as a story of a preteen girl Amy who recognizes her femininity through dance.