Netflix apologized for a movie poster after critics called it out for 'sexualizing' young girls

• Netflix tweeted an apology for the promotional material it used for the French film "Cuties" after critics accused it of sexualizing young girls.
• The film follows an 11-year-old Senegalese Muslim girl caught between traditional family values and internet culture.
• Netflix tweeted: "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."
• Supporters of the film have criticized Netflix for misleading marketing material that missells the movie, negatively comparing the US Netflix poster to the French poster.
• However, some believe that the movie is the problem and have called for the entire film to be scrapped, calling it "pedophilia soft-porn."

Netflix has apologized for the marketing material and artwork that they used to promote French film "Cuties" after thousands signed a petition calling for the film to be removed from the streaming service.

The movie, titled "Mignonnes" in French, follows an 11-year-old Senegalese Muslim girl who is caught up in the clash of her traditional family values and modern, internet culture.

Netflix US' poster showed a group of young girls posing in skimpy outfits. It was compared to the original French poster, which is a lot less revealing.

@Yeetdere wrote: "It's interesting to compare the french version of the cuties poster to the american version... like the French version has more 'kids having fun!' vibes, while the American version is just f---ing.... gross. I feel like the #Netflix marketing team has a lot to answer for."

Netflix's original description, which has now been changed, said that the main character, 11-year-old Amy, "becomes fascinated with a twerking dance crew" and "starts to explore her feminity."

In response to the backlash, Netflix tweeted an apology on August 20: "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."

In a now-deleted tweet, Twitter user @DanielleDash wrote: "Okay, so what the f--- you're not going to do is petition to get a coming of age film about a little black girl by a black woman director, maimouna doucoure, removed from netflix. This description does not accurately portray what the film is about."

@DanielleDash later tweeted that she had to delete these tweets due to the hate she was receiving, and expressed her sympathy for the film's director, Maïmouna Doucouré.

Fans of the film have criticized Netflix for potentially ruining what they believe could have been a very important film. @notallbhas tweeted: "Netflix may have just destroyed the career/risked the safety of a French-Senegalese filmmaker by portraying her film as the very hypersexualization of young girls that it was denouncing."

Doucouré spoke about the movie in an interview Cineuropa published on August 18: "This is most of all an uncompromising portrait of an 11-year-old girl plunged in a world that imposes a series of dictates on her."

Doucouré said: "It was very important not to judge these girls, but most of all to understand them, to listen to them, to give them a voice, to take into account the complexity of what they're living through in society, and all of that in parallel with their childhood which is always there, their imaginary, their innocence."

However, many people still feel that it is the film itself that is "disgusting" rather than just the promotional material.

@HotepJesus wrote: "The artwork isn't the only thing wrong. How is the film rated TV-MA but features minors? Also, isn't the entire premise of the film DISTURBING? Y'all gotta scrap the whole film."

Meanwhile, @LilaGraceRose wrote: "Your response defies reason and insults the intelligence of your subscribers, @netflix. The artwork is a depiction of the entire film, which encourages pre-pubescent girls to explore their "sexuality" and act in sexual ways. The FILM is pedophilia soft-porn."

While the film received positive reviews upon its Sundance release earlier this year, over 143,000 people have signed the petition to have it removed at the time of writing, claiming it sexualizes young girls.

The petition description reads: "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 argues that "there is no need for this kind of content in that age group, especially when sex trafficking and pedophilia are so rampant!"

The petition concludes: "There is no excuse, this is dangerous content!"

Meanwhile, a separate petition, which has garnered over 262,000 signatures at this time of writing, says: "I Want Netflix to remove the new movie Cuties as it promotes child pornography."

Watch the trailer for the movie below:

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