Netflix Stepped On A Landmine Of Controversy With Their Botched ‘Cuties’ Marketing Campaign – Decider
Netflix is catching some serious flak on social media today around their upcoming original film Cuties most of which likely could have been avoided.
Cuties, a film from French-Senegalese director Mamouna Doucour, made its debut in January at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. Decider was there in Park City for the screening, and our Senior Film Reporter Anna Menta filed a review of Cuties, calling it a coming-of-age film that will speak volumes to anyone who has lived through the agonizingly confusing time that is girlhood.
Earlier this week, Netflix announced the premiere date of Cuties (September 9) and released the trailer for the film, which immediately set off a firestorm of criticism from hordes of angry keyboard warriors most of whom, we assume, have yet to actually see the movie who found some fresh ammunition for the culture wars. The first part of the problem arose from the language that Netflix used to describe the film on their official movie page, as well as YouTube. That language read:
Amy, 11, becomes fascinated with a twerking dance crew. Hoping to join them, she starts to explore her femininity, defying her familys traditions.
Ever since Miley Cyrus set the world aflame in 2013 by bringing the twerking dance craze into the mainstream putting cultural appropriation directly into the crosshairs of the outrage economy on both sides of the political spectrum the word twerking has been a loaded term. Combining that term with the precocious age of the films primary protagonist, an 11-year-old girl, left the rabid (and scarily thriving) QAnon community foaming at the mouth; it was the cultural equivalent of throwing red meat to Joe Exotics menagerie of underfed tigers. The movies TV-MA rating further incited Twitter users to accuse Netflix of making child porn, of being run by a bunch of pedophiles, and much worse. (We dont even want to imagine whats being said on Parlor.)
Presumably realizing that they were under fire, Netflix tried to compensate by quietly changing the films description to something more sanguine:
Amy, 11 years old, tries to escape family dysfunction by joining a free-spirited dance clique named Cuties, as they build their self confidence through dance.
This, as you might guess, only exacerbated the issue. A Netflix spokesperson told Metro.co.uk that the language had been changed because this was not an accurate representation of the film so the image and description has been updated, but now this very vocal faction of Twitter jockeys again, we should say, have almost definitely NOT SEEN THE MOVIE now had evidence of a cover-up.
Making matters even worse, Netflixs official YouTube channel currently has BOTH descriptions of the movie still lingering on their Cuties trailer page.
Making matters even WORSE, somehow, the official page for Cuties on Netflix is accompanied by a More Like This section powered by Netflixs world-famous algorithm:
Yikes. Seeing the inclusion of 365 dni in this section, a movie Decider described as the closest thing to porn on Netflix, does NOT help Netflixs case, either.
Nor does the films poster. On the left is the poster being used to promote the film for American audiences, and on the right is the French poster:
Double yikes on the spooky Sparkle Motion vibes that the American version is radiating. Netflix was forced to issue an apology earlier today for the poster you see on the left, which they have now pulled, telling Deadline that Were deeply sorry for the inappropriate artwork that we used for Cuties. It was not OK, nor was it representative of this French film which premiered at Sundance. Weve now updated the pictures and description.
This is not the first time that Netflix has skirted controversy when it comes to movies that sexualize underage characters and participants. Their Italian dramatic series Baby revolves around teen prostitutes and was denounced by the the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) for allegedly promoting underage sex trafficking, and their 2018 Belgian film Girl drew ire for its inclusion of a full frontal nude scene featuring a 15-year-old.
As a company whose mission is to produce and acquire content for a worldwide audience, these are the kinds of cultural landmines that Netflix will continue to trip on occasionally particularly as they continue to release and market dozens upon dozens of new shows and movies across the globe each month. You dont need to be a cultural anthropology major to understand the complex issues of gender and sexuality that arise as content gets consumed by global audiences with very different value systems and cultural mores, but Netflix certainly did not do themselves any favors with how they have bungled the marketing for this films release thus far.
Cuties will be released on Netflix on September 9, at which point youll be able to judge the way this film treated its subject matter for yourself.
Watch Cuties on Netflix on September 9
See the article here:
Netflix Stepped On A Landmine Of Controversy With Their Botched 'Cuties' Marketing Campaign - Decider
- My Generation Is Sick of Your Culture Wars. Here's What Students Really Need (Opinion) - Education Week - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- Rugby has been stuck in the middle of the nation's culture wars - and it is an ugly place full of threats and lies - WarwickshireWorld - July 20th, 2025 [July 20th, 2025]
- Trump agencies turn up heat on culture wars - Axios - July 16th, 2025 [July 16th, 2025]
- A Liberal government uninterested in fighting culture wars? This could be it - MSN - July 14th, 2025 [July 14th, 2025]
- Woke but not broke? Superman soars above culture wars to dominate global box office - The Sydney Morning Herald - July 14th, 2025 [July 14th, 2025]
- A Liberal government uninterested in fighting culture wars? This could be it - National Post - July 12th, 2025 [July 12th, 2025]
- What's killing the media goes all the way back to a famous 100-year-old culture wars trial: critic - Alternet - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Opinion | The culture wars: Trumps takeover of the Kennedy Center - Toronto Star - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Walter Kim: Reaching Every GenerationCuriosity, Connection, & Culture Wars - ChurchLeaders - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- From Cornbread to Culture Wars - iHeart - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- As a visibly Muslim woman, I'm so tired of bearing the brunt of the UK's toxic culture wars - Glamour UK - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Eamon Ryan: We cant afford to let the climate crisis get swallowed up in the culture wars - The Irish Times - June 24th, 2025 [June 24th, 2025]
- Bikinis and burgers: How the culture wars are remaking advertising - AFR - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- Conservatives lose culture wars because they don't show up - Washington Examiner - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- Revolutionary Ideas || Marxism and Culture Wars: How We Fight Oppression - International Socialist Alternative - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- The dangers of imported American culture wars on Scottish women's rights - TheNational.scot - June 20th, 2025 [June 20th, 2025]
- Paul Elie on Culture Wars in Music and Art - Christianity Today - June 18th, 2025 [June 18th, 2025]
- Co-Learning Intersectionality and Social Justice during Culture Wars - E-International Relations - June 12th, 2025 [June 12th, 2025]
- How the word womyn dragged the National Spelling Bee into the US culture wars - The Guardian - May 28th, 2025 [May 28th, 2025]
- EDITORIAL | Student Speech: Schools that wade into culture wars should expect pushback - Texarkana Gazette - May 28th, 2025 [May 28th, 2025]
- Jerry Falwell and the Chistian Culture Wars - CounterPunch.org - May 28th, 2025 [May 28th, 2025]
- Kudlow: President Trump Is Gradually Winning The Culture Wars - Real Clear Politics - May 24th, 2025 [May 24th, 2025]
- Larry Kudlow: Trump is gradually winning the culture wars, but much more must be done - Fox Business - May 24th, 2025 [May 24th, 2025]
- Here come the culture wars: can Queenslands LNP resist wading into the ideological mire? - The Guardian - May 24th, 2025 [May 24th, 2025]
- Trump Is Gradually Winning the Culture Wars but Much More Must Be Done - The New York Sun - May 24th, 2025 [May 24th, 2025]
- From Barbiecore to the Culture Wars: Alex Clarks Podcast Pivot Exposes the Right-Wing Media Machine - CEO Today - May 24th, 2025 [May 24th, 2025]
- John Rustad: It's time for B.C. NDP to end culture wars and wedge politics - Vancouver Sun - May 24th, 2025 [May 24th, 2025]
- Gary Lineker, the culture wars and why his BBC exit became a sad inevitability - The Athletic - The New York Times - May 24th, 2025 [May 24th, 2025]
- Why culture wars and anti-wokeness is really nothing new - NZ Herald - May 15th, 2025 [May 15th, 2025]
- In the way it addresses culture wars, Labor is acting more like a truly liberal party - ABC Religion & Ethics - Australian Broadcasting... - May 15th, 2025 [May 15th, 2025]
- Religious freedom laws: Albanese has shied from culture wars. This one waits for him when parliament resumes - The Sydney Morning Herald - May 15th, 2025 [May 15th, 2025]
- Trumps firing of Hayden brings culture wars to the Library of Congress - Baltimore Sun - May 15th, 2025 [May 15th, 2025]
- Culture comes first in cybersecurity. That puts cybersecurity on the front line in the culture wars - theregister.com - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- While His Admin Delights In The Culture Wars, Trump Tiptoes Around Abortion. At Least For Now. - Talking Points Memo - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- Australians have soundly rejected Trump-style culture wars. Now Albanese must act with courage and vision - The Guardian - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- Culture wars, political polarization and deepening inequality: the roots of Trumpism - The Conversation - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- THE OCEANSIDER: An Aside About the School Board Elections Culture Wars Trickle Down to Tillamook - Tillamook County Pioneer - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- OPINION: Book bans draw libraries into damaging culture wars that undermine their purpose - The Hechinger Report - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- PG Tips enters the tea culture wars with NCA - More About Advertising - May 8th, 2025 [May 8th, 2025]
- Debate over partisanship, culture wars in Mansfield ISD at center of school board race - Fort Worth Report - May 3rd, 2025 [May 3rd, 2025]
- Oklahoma Watch: The Supreme Court had classroom culture wars on top of mind in oral arguments - Duncan Banner - May 3rd, 2025 [May 3rd, 2025]
- The Supreme Court Had Classroom Culture Wars on Top of Mind in Oral Arguments - notus.org - May 3rd, 2025 [May 3rd, 2025]
- Culture wars and costings: election special podcast with Michelle Grattan and Amanda Dunn - The Conversation - May 3rd, 2025 [May 3rd, 2025]
- Online pile-ons and culture wars: how did we get here? - The Sydney Morning Herald - May 3rd, 2025 [May 3rd, 2025]
- Opinion | Can the Catholic Church Quit the Culture Wars? - The New York Times - April 30th, 2025 [April 30th, 2025]
- Morning Mail: Dutton switches to culture wars in last debate; Canada heartbroken after car ramming; Liverpool win league - The Guardian - April 30th, 2025 [April 30th, 2025]
- How your showerhead and fridge got roped into the culture wars - Grist.org - April 30th, 2025 [April 30th, 2025]
- Libraries have been in the crosshairs of culture wars throughout history - Houston Public Media - April 30th, 2025 [April 30th, 2025]
- Symbol of Injustice and the culture wars: Volleyball trans athlete and her teammates are caught in the middle - Genetic Literacy Project - April 30th, 2025 [April 30th, 2025]
- Fundamentalists in the Public Square: Evolution, Alcohol, and Culture Wars after the Scopes Trial - The Gospel Coalition - April 30th, 2025 [April 30th, 2025]
- Culture Wars talk New Single Typical Ways, And New Upcoming Album - Soundsphere magazine - April 30th, 2025 [April 30th, 2025]
- Can culture wars win elections? - Australian Broadcasting Corporation - April 30th, 2025 [April 30th, 2025]
- Peter Dutton flicks switch to culture wars as cost of living proves tough egg to crack - The Guardian - April 30th, 2025 [April 30th, 2025]
- VIDEO: Costings and culture wars as last week begins - Australian Broadcasting Corporation - April 30th, 2025 [April 30th, 2025]
- Justices Consider the Culture Wars During LGTBQ Storybook Hearing - Law.com - April 30th, 2025 [April 30th, 2025]
- Laura Tingle's Election: polls and culture wars in the final week - Australian Broadcasting Corporation - April 30th, 2025 [April 30th, 2025]
- Capitol Update: Rep. Brandon Woodard says GOP put culture wars over real solutions this session - Johnson County Post - April 21st, 2025 [April 21st, 2025]
- How Emerging Adults Have Historically Responded To Culture Wars - Forbes - April 21st, 2025 [April 21st, 2025]
- Campfire and culture wars: the history of the American summer camp - MSN - April 21st, 2025 [April 21st, 2025]
- The charts that show youngsters are rejecting the Lefts culture wars - The Telegraph - April 3rd, 2025 [April 3rd, 2025]
- Beyond the culture wars: How mysticism can get us beyond polarisation - Catholic Outlook - April 3rd, 2025 [April 3rd, 2025]
- Work and money worry young people more than culture wars or climate, UK poll finds - The Guardian - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Ag Secretary Uses Purse Strings to Press Culture Wars in States - DTN Progressive Farmer - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Lionel Shriver: Trump has ended US culture wars but UK is lagging - The Times - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- No 10 happy to dip its toe into culture wars in row with Sentencing Council - The Guardian - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Canada ditches divisive culture wars for focused hyper-nationalism thanks to Donald Trump - Daily Maverick - April 1st, 2025 [April 1st, 2025]
- Disneys New Snow White Film Fights Culture Wars and Wins - Bloomberg - March 22nd, 2025 [March 22nd, 2025]
- Culture wars reach the classroom: What is the best way to teach children about gender and identity? - The Irish Times - March 22nd, 2025 [March 22nd, 2025]
- 'I thought we were done with the culture wars': Democrats push back on measure clarifying what makes school books 'harmful to minors' - Creative... - March 22nd, 2025 [March 22nd, 2025]
- Letter: Culture wars drove me away from the GOP - Bangor Daily News - March 9th, 2025 [March 9th, 2025]
- Beth Ann Rosica: Pennsylvania culture wars to be waged in the courtroom - Broad + Liberty - March 9th, 2025 [March 9th, 2025]
- I have a pathological need to be right: Ash Sarkar on culture wars, controversy and Corbyns lost legacy - The Guardian - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Alex Gibney to Exec Produce Doc About College Culture Wars and Freedom of Speech (EXCLUSIVE) - Variety - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Embrace of authoritarianism in US fueled by culture wars more than economy, study finds - The University of Kansas - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Memo to Hollywood: Theres No Running or Hiding From the Culture Wars - TheWrap - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- Culture wars reach warfighters as area military bases ordered to scrub online content - Fredericksburg Free Press - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- The WA election campaign has been about big promises, but culture wars are inescapable in contemporary politics - The Conversation Indonesia - March 7th, 2025 [March 7th, 2025]
- How the Right Hijacked the Working Class for Culture Wars - Social Europe - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Culture wars: Trumps takeover of arts is straight from the dictator playbook - The Guardian - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- A correspondence from the Culture Wars - Carter County Times - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]