Bringing about meaningful change in the wake of ‘Cuties’ is going take a lot more effort than just canceling your Netflix account.
By Emma Freire
A massive outcry over indecent content, demands for a legal investigation, calls for boycotts, countless op-eds bemoaning the decline of American morals — no, I’m not talking about the current backlash against the Netflix movie “Cuties.” I am referring to Janet Jackson’s bare breast during the Super Bowl halftime show back in 2004. It was and still is one of the most controversial events in television history.
At the time, I found it strange that the backlash focused exclusively on that breast. The entire halftime show consisted of sexually explicit lyrics and dance moves. The public response, however, gave the impression that it was only the breast that crossed the line.
Now that 16 years have passed, it is clear that the lesson the organizers of the Super Bowl took away from the controversy is that as long as they don’t expose a woman’s breast, they can get away with anything else. The most recent halftime show with Shakira and Jennifer Lopez was ample proof.
What are the head honchos at Netflix going to take away from the current controversy over “Cuties”? Probably that as long as they don’t show 11-year-olds twerking in skimpy outfits, they can show anything else. That’s a very low bar — too low.
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