Why ‘Cuties’ does nothing to alter the Lolita infatuation
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There has been much controversy over the film Cuties (or Mignonnes), directed by Maïmouna Doucouré. The film centres on an 11-year-old French-Senegalese girl (Amy) from a strict Muslim household. Amy rebels when she joins a girls’ dance group that involves a highly seductive and sexualised dance routine, including twerking. The trouble begins and ends there.
By Laura Brick
A funny kind of ‘liberation’
Netflix commentators such as Brendan O’Neill and the director herself have all defended the film, arguing that the point is to criticize, not to endorse, the hypersexualisation of children.
I cannot agree. The way in which the story is told glorifies that kind of behaviour. It shows a young girl from an oppressive religious household ‘freeing’ herself. This involves wearing nicer, more fashionable clothes (including crop-tops and tight leggings), suggesting that because these items make her more noticeable and attractive they also advance her freedom. In short, viewers do not see a gir...
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