I Was Amy In Netflix Film ‘Cuties’ And (Likely) So Were You…
Image courtesy of Netflix
French film and Sundance selection, “Cuties” made its streaming debut on Netflix this past Friday, but controversy spread of the film’s supposed sexualization of young girls like wildfire. Many condemned the film’s messages before its release and have even accused Netflix of condoning pedophilia. In large part due to the release of the Netflix poster (on the right) in contrast to French marketing (on the left):
Images courtesy of Sundance | Netflix
Netflix has since issued an apology but the damage was done, leading to boycotts of the film, canceled Netflix subscriptions, and death threats to director, Maïmouna Doucouré. Many of my own friends have taken to social media to condemn the film without seeing its nuanced, impassioned commentary on the hardships of adolescence, particularly for adolescent girls of color.
The film follows 11-year-old Amy (Fathia Youssouf) as she and her family, Senegalese immigrants, prepare for the wedding of her father, who has taken a second wife. Amy witnesses the painful effect this has on her mother while simultaneously adjusting to her growing responsibility within the Islam faith. Isolated as the new girl in school and powerless to stop the changes in her household, she soon encounters Angelica (Medina El Aidi), a high-spirited dancer who then introduces Amy to her dance group, the “Cuties.”
Image courtesy of Netflix
Transfixed by online dance videos and growing attention on her social media account, dancing with the Cuties becomes a lifeline for Amy. Straddling two cultures, Amy claws her way into an identity she can control. Rooted in sexual expression, Amy imitates the many images she’s exposed to despite lacking the emotional ability to understand the full ramifications of expressing that identity.
The film presents an honest, thoughtful portrait of what it means to come to terms with girlhood, body changes, and transitional and conflicting identities. Recognizing the artistic contribution of this film as well as Doucouré’s personal experience, I find it extremely disheartening to witness its negative reception. Removing challenges of competency as a first-time director alone, Doucouré is clearly forced to defend her choices not only as a director but as a Black woman telling her own story. As seen in the video featurette below, Doucouré speaks on the film acting as a “mirror of today’s society, a mirror sometimes difficult to look into and accept but still true.”
Surely, if the film reflects our society, by extension the guttural backlash is too. In a country that has produced 234 episodes of Dance Moms, one can’t help but examine our obsession with shielding girls’ innocence while exploiting it at the same time. Anyone who’s ever watched a Britney Spears music video can understand this.
Without a doubt, the film gets to be quite challenging to watch. In one particular clip circulating the internet as an example to vilify the film, the Cuties prepare to audition for a dance contest. Their moves are awkward in attempts to fashion their under-developed bodies into overtly sexual choreography. They coach themselves to twerk, shake their hips and chest, and enjoy themselves along the way. Watching these young girls stick their fingers in their mouths and slap each other’s butts led to many gasps from my own mouth. “Oh my god!” I exclaimed. “She has no idea what she’s doing. She doesn’t know what it means.” And that’s the point. Amy has no idea what her actions mean. The more her newfound outlet starts to slip from her fingers, the more desperate her actions become to hold on to it. Taken out of context, these actions alone read as irresponsible storytelling. It’s not.
As I removed the hand covering my mouth as I watched this scene, I remembered my own childhood and moments identical to many in the film. I recalled a friend when we were ten grabbing my hips, moving them side to side so that we could be like Jennifer Lopez portraying the late Selena Quintanilla in the biopic, Selena. I recalled the time in 5th grade, two of my friends came over so that we could rehearse our dance routine to “Dirrty” by Christina Aguilera, which if you’ve seen the video was not the best look for a 10-year-old. I chickened out before our audition so thankfully, we didn’t have any adults to tell us “no.”
I also recall being a curious 6-year-old absolutely obsessed with Janet Jackson. Over and over, I would play our VHS recording (yeah, I’m that old) of Janet live in concert performing my favorite song of hers, “I Get Lonely.” During this particular performance, Janet called one lucky man from the audience to sit in a chair and watch as she danced. While unable to process and articulate what I was seeing, I was enthralled by the power of her moves, her attitude, and yes, her body. An image that still remains in my head is the subservient act of the man placing the top of his head against her abs, glistening with sweat. For that moment in time, she, in a way, owned him. Could I do that?
Just before the final chorus, Janet rips open her button-down blouse to reveal her bra as she sings the climax of the song. Little me, went to my bedroom, put on my little swimsuit top and tied a button down top over it so that it would easily come undone when it was time for Janet’s big moment. I repeated my imitation, wanting to feel as beautiful and powerful as the image before me. To my parents, it was comedic. I was cute and so invested in my own little Janet world. But to me, it was serious. Just as it is serious to Amy’s character. The key difference is that I was allowed to explore my curiosity without ever being in danger of recording myself and posting it online.
Image courtesy of Netflix
I’m not an immigrant. Nor am I Muslim, but I am a woman who understands the complexities of growing up under the pressures of Western feminine ideals. Cuties presents a unique voice to an experience all too common for girls judged, sneered at, and over-policed for the one place they’re supposed to feel safe - their bodies. As access to instant gratification becomes more readily available to our youth, open discussion and education to the dangers of their exposure becomes more essential. It’s easy to be critical of Cuties. It’s wiser to critique societal norms that made Cuties necessary.
