Opposition to the sexualization of children is, in my view, a “last stand” situation for people of any semblance of decency. If we lose this battle, then society loses its very soul.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve likely by now heard of the Netflix film Cuties. The official “logline” of Cuties is as follows: “Eleven-year-old Amy starts to rebel against her conservative family’s traditions when she becomes fascinated with a free-spirited dance crew.”
An award-winning French film, Cuties has become a flash point in the ongoing “culture wars,” especially in America. At issue is the sexualized depiction of the film’s child cast.
Cuties is directed by French-Senegalese filmmaker Maïmouna Doucouré. Amy, the protagonist, strays from her strict Muslim upbringing and joins a hip-hop dance troupe. According to the filmmakers, the movie is all about feminism and it’s in fact a commentary (they say) against the sexualization of children.
In fact, many of the film’s defenders are quite insistent that critics have buried the film’s true and (they say) noble intentions in a maelstrom of controversy. Writing for The Rolling Stone, E.J. Dickson declares:
In the hands of the film’s detractors, the discourse surrounding Cuties morphed from that of a complex film addressing faith, race, and sexuality, to a war between two opposing groups, one with obvious moral leverage over the other: those who support child sexual exploitation, and those who do not.
E.J. Dickson, “How Cuties is…” The Rolling Stone, September 14, 2020
The headline to Dickson’s headline is striking: “How ‘Cuties’ Is Fueling the Far Right’s Obsession With Pedophilia.”
Um, so only the “far right” is passionately against pedophilia?
Don’t worry.
I know what the headline is trying to say.
According to the cultural elites, only a bunch of crazy right-wingers would really be concerned with (or outraged by) some supposed effort or conspiracy to mainstream child pornography or pedophilia.
Sophisticated people understand this is not really happening.
Or so goes the sanctimonious presumption we’re (sort of) given as assurance.
Just so we are clear. I understand the filmmakers claim their movie is in opposition to the sexual exploitation of children. But the question I keep coming back to is this…
Are children sexualized in Cuties or not?
Yes or No.
As even the film’s proponents must acknowledge…
The simple fact is that Cuties depicts children in a sexual manner.
That is undisputed — even by the film’s defenders. They simply argue that such a depiction is “necessary” or at least should be seen in the larger context of the film’s artistic narrative.
I passionately disagree.
There is NO justification to sexualize children. None. Full stop.
No justification. Ever. Not under ANY circumstance and not for any reason.
I encourage everyone reading this to write Netlfix and demand Cuties be removed. And be willing to cancel your subscription as well.
I don’t normally support boycotts, but as I said…
This is a last stand for decency.
Are we going to protect the innocence of children? Or not?
If we lose this, if we become complicit in (or, worse, supportive of) the sexual exploitation of children, we lose our collective soul.
If we accept the sexualization of children, we’ll no longer be a society worth saving.
