Netflix has apologized after thousands signed a petition demanding the French film Cuties be removed from the platform, arguing the film and Netflix’s poster for it sexualize young girls.
The petition accuses the movie about an 11-year-old dancer of sexualizing underage girls “for the viewing pleasure of pedophiles.”
Netflix’s poster for the film, depicting its preteen cast in midriff-bearing costumes, has been slammed on social media, with critics calling the image “disgusting,” “upsetting” and “sick,” the Los Angeles Times reported.
“We’re deeply sorry for the inappropriate artwork that we used for Mignonnes/Cuties,” Netflix said in a statement Thursday. “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.”
However, Netflix has not announced any plans to drop the film from the platform. Cuties, which premiered earlier this year at Sundance, is still scheduled to debut globally on Netflix on September 9.
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