Why is #CancelNetflix trending on social media?

People on social media including QAnon supporters are trending #CancelNetflix on various social media platforms.

The calls for Netflix to be cancelled come after the release of Cuties. This French film is the directorial debut of Maimouna Doucouré. It premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival where it was met with positive reviews and Maimouna won the Directing Award.

Earlier, in August there were criticisms about the poster of the movie which led Netflix to withdraw artwork used to promote the film,  that was released in theatres that month in France.

But on Thursday,Sep 10, broader opposition to some of the imagery came from around the political spectrum in the United States. A petition on change.org calling on users to cancel their Netflix subscriptions currently stands at more than 600,000 signatures.

According to The Verge, one of the critics wrote, Cuties uses uncomfortable images to provoke a serious conversation about the sexualization of girls, especially regarding girls of color, the policing of a girl’s sexuality, double standards, the effect of social media on kids, and how children learn these behaviors”

Although the film was not received as controversial when it premiered at Sundance or by French viewers, viewers at home have an incredibly different viewpoint.