Satire or Exploitation? the Critical Debate over the 'Cuties' Dance Sequences
By Maya Lin-Takahashi
The narrative foundation of Cuties grew directly out of field interviews conducted in Paris between 2017 and 2018. Doucouré attended neighborhood talent showcases, observed community dance battles, and spoke extensively with young girls about their self-image. What she discovered was an unsettling, algorithmic reality: preadolescents were studying TikTok, Instagram, and mainstream music videos not merely for entertainment, but as rigid blueprints for social survival and peer validation.
The protagonist, Amy (portrayed by Fathia Youssouf), navigates a fractured domestic life. Raised in a conservative Senegalese-Muslim household in a working-class Parisian suburb, she watches her mother quietly endure the impending arrival of a second wife. Seeking agency, Amy gravitates toward a group of rebellious neighborhood girls who call themselves "The Cuties." These girls measure their worth through online likes, smartphone engagement, and suggestive hip-hop routines patterned after American pop stars. Doucouré designed the contrast deliberately. Amy finds herself trapped between an oppressive traditional patriarchy at home and an equally coercive, hypersexualized digital culture outside it.
Fathia Youssouf's performance captured that disorientation with raw vulnerability, earning her the César Award for Most Promising Actress in 2021. Yet Doucouré’s observational methodology meant the camera lingered directly on the girls as they rehearsed provocative poses in alleyways and bedrooms, establishing the central visual friction that would later polarize international audiences.
Maya is a hardware enthusiast who tests and reviews smart home devices, smartphones, wearables, and audio gear. She focuses on practical consumer value and build quality.
