"Cuties" is a French coming-of-age film about an 11 year old African girl from a conservative family who is thrust into the popular Paris culture of female sexuality. It's also the basis of the social media trend #CancelNetflix . Many people - including those who have not seen it - are threatening to cancel their subscriptions if the movie is not pulled. From Netflix' play list. Rob Weiner, Popular Culture Librarian, Texas Tech University, says this could actually work in Netflix's favor. "There are lots of people who have heard all the controversy about Cuties and will watch it to see what all the hubbub is about."
Weiner's theory about the backlash - especially from those who haven't seen even a part of the film: "I think people are sick and tired - generally speaking - of all the sexualization, particularly of females - and specifically of pre-teen females."
On the business side, Wells Fargo Analyst Steven Cahall forecasts 2 million subscribers will be lost. But Weiner still thinks Netflix is too big to pull the film. In fact, Weiner forecasts Netflix will ignore the protest completely and concentrate on what to do about their mounting competition in the streaming industry.