Nowadays, when social media play a vital role in shaping public opinions, once something is out in the open, it becomes subject to scrutiny. As a result, celebrities, politicians, TV series, and films might face a so-called cancelation, as in people refusing to engage with them. Sometimes it is justified, but social media are as reliable as the people behind the accounts. One of the recent examples is Cuties, a film tackling the topic of childhood hypersexualization. Many people had issues with the subject matter, but the question remains whether the outrage was misdirected.
The problem with controversies such as with Cuties is that hardly anyone is willing to study the story beyond clickbait titles and social media posts with many impressions. Meanwhile, the director could have meant something entirely different from what the marketing for the film implied (Mallenbaum, 2020). She wanted to highlight that it is the society that is responsible for forming sexual identities and their expression, so the girls are victims (Benokraitis, 2015). Despite Netflix’s attempts to defend the work, the crusade against it continued (VanHoose, 2020). However, the company was not without blame – it was, perhaps, a conscious choice to make the marketing controversial to draw attention to the film and benefit financially, which they eventually achieved (Levin, 2020). Regardless, Cuties’ reputation is forever tarnished for the public at large, although various journalists and viewers may attempt to rehabilitate it.
The story demonstrates that society is quick to judge and not inclined to reflect on art’s true meaning, especially if it offers social commentary. Perhaps, it is not a change but something that was always there, exposed by the openness of the online culture. However, such companies as Netflix prey on those habits, hurting the original work in the process. If they wish to preserve integrity and gain profits simultaneously, they can emphasize the strong points of what they promote to draw viewers instead of repulsing them.
References
Benokraitis, N. V. (2015). Marriages and families (8th ed.). Pearson.
Levin, G. (2020). Was ‘Cuties’ fallout to blame for Netflix’s sharply slowing growth? USA Today.
Mallenbaum, C. (2020). ‘Cuties’ controversy: Does Netflix’s new movie deserve the backlash? USA Today.
VanHoose, B. (2020). Netflix CEO defends ‘misunderstood’ Cuties after movie indictment: ‘The film speaks for itself.’ People.