A significant section of the netizens have started to spread the hashtag #CancelNetflix following the release of the French film Mignonnes (a) Cuties claiming that the young actors in it were portrayed in a hypersexualised way.

The film directed by French-Senegalese director Maïmouna Doucouré started streaming on September 9. The thousands of tweets from people who condemned the portrayal of kids in the film with the hashtag #CancelNetflix made it the top trending topic of the day.

The first wave of criticism on the film happened in August and it compelled Netflix to withdraw the posters used to promote the film, which was released in theatres that month in France. Netflix apologised for having used “unsuitable” images in its promotions, back then. 

In a statement, Netflix said, “Cuties is a social commentary against the sexualisation of young children. It’s an award-winning film and a powerful story about the pressure young girls face on social media, and from society more generally, growing up – and we’d encourage anyone who cares about these important issues to watch the movie.”