5 ms·

Netflix, the streaming service that mainstreamed child sexual exploitation, is now shy of controversy. From IMDB's content advisory on "Cuties": "Frequent sc

Netflix, the streaming service that mainstreamed child sexual exploitation, is now shy of controversy. From IMDB's content advisory on "Cuties": "Frequent scenes of 11-year-old girls dancing lewdly where the camera pans in and zooms in on the children's buttocks and midsections (both still in skin-tight clothes) Close up shots of the girls dancing with their leg spread above their head while camera focus on crotch area. These views are fairly frequent, but brief."

mschuster91 6y ago
There's "controversy that is mostly a Twitter/arts critique outrage" that won't cost you much business, and there's "controversy that can lead entire countries from blocking you out". Most people will never hear about, much less react upon, the "Cuties" issue, so the business risk was relatively low.
- slumdev 6y ago
  What unmitigated cowardice! If a company chooses to offend only when there's little risk to the bottom line, they're not a brave cultural vanguard. They're the establishment hiding under an "edgy" patina.
  - ViViDboarder 6y ago
    Have any of these companies ever claimed to be edgy though? I feel like this is par for the course with all American businesses.
    - slumdev 6y ago
      Do you mean to tell me that the "Praise Satan!" streaming service isn't desperately trying to be edgy? https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/11/the-chilling-adventures-of-sabrina-holiday-episode https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/11/the-chilling-ad...
ceejayoz 6y ago
You could put a similar content warning on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Miss_Sunshine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Miss_Sunshine, but it'd entirely miss the point of the film.
speed_spread 6y ago
I've seen "Cuties" without prior knowledge of the controversy. It is a good movie that actually denounces indoctrination (moral/religious or consumerist/sexual) of young girls. It is also a very French movie, which codes may not be familiar to American public. Some scenes are ambiguous, reflecting both superficial joy and ethical uneasiness. As part of the whole story they balance out but taken out of context these images will look plain wrong; Netflix mistake was to use those scenes as part the movie's trailer.
- slumdev 6y ago
  The actresses in Mignonnes aren't young-looking adults. They're actually children. The controversy exists (yes, even in France,) because it was unnecessary for Doucoure to sexualize children in order to decry the sexualization of children.
  - ficklepickle 6y ago
    How do you show how bad something is without showing the thing? Children are sexualized by the constant messaging they receive from media and advertising. Instead of getting upset about a movie that demonstrates the problem, maybe we should address the problem.
    - slumdev 6y ago
      > How do you show how bad something is without showing the thing? Ordinarily, we'd simulate it. No one is actually killed in the production of a war film. But when the actresses themselves are children, it's not a simulation.
      - ceejayoz 6y ago
        > No one is actually killed in the production of a war film. Actually... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight_Zone_accident https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight_Zone_accident

mschuster91 6y ago

There's "controversy that is mostly a Twitter/arts critique outrage" that won't cost you much business, and there's "controversy that can lead entire countries from blocking you out". Most people will never hear about, much less react upon, the "Cuties" issue, so the business risk was relatively low.

slumdev 6y ago
What unmitigated cowardice! If a company chooses to offend only when there's little risk to the bottom line, they're not a brave cultural vanguard. They're the establishment hiding under an "edgy" patina.
- ViViDboarder 6y ago
  Have any of these companies ever claimed to be edgy though? I feel like this is par for the course with all American businesses.
  - slumdev 6y ago
    Do you mean to tell me that the "Praise Satan!" streaming service isn't desperately trying to be edgy? https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/11/the-chilling-adventures-of-sabrina-holiday-episode https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2018/11/the-chilling-ad...

ceejayoz 6y ago

You could put a similar content warning on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Miss_Sunshine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Miss_Sunshine, but it'd entirely miss the point of the film.

speed_spread 6y ago

I've seen "Cuties" without prior knowledge of the controversy. It is a good movie that actually denounces indoctrination (moral/religious or consumerist/sexual) of young girls. It is also a very French movie, which codes may not be familiar to American public. Some scenes are ambiguous, reflecting both superficial joy and ethical uneasiness. As part of the whole story they balance out but taken out of context these images will look plain wrong; Netflix mistake was to use those scenes as part the movie's trailer.

slumdev 6y ago
The actresses in Mignonnes aren't young-looking adults. They're actually children. The controversy exists (yes, even in France,) because it was unnecessary for Doucoure to sexualize children in order to decry the sexualization of children.
- ficklepickle 6y ago
  How do you show how bad something is without showing the thing? Children are sexualized by the constant messaging they receive from media and advertising. Instead of getting upset about a movie that demonstrates the problem, maybe we should address the problem.
  - slumdev 6y ago
    > How do you show how bad something is without showing the thing? Ordinarily, we'd simulate it. No one is actually killed in the production of a war film. But when the actresses themselves are children, it's not a simulation.
    - ceejayoz 6y ago
      > No one is actually killed in the production of a war film. Actually... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight_Zone_accident https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight_Zone_accident