Thread by @misfitpoise, Watching Cuties. I’m 15 min in and can already see the development [...]

Watching Cuties.

I’m 15 min in and can already see the development of the girls cultural struggle. A religious service tells them to be good because there will be more women in hell - in heaven there will be a competitive advantage. Everything is structured for men, women are subservient you them

Mother has to deal with the trauma of husband taking second wife. We see this unfold for the girl as she hides under the bed. The mother hitting herself in anguish and being brave on the phone announcing this “joyous occasion” to friends and family.

Feels so true. Girl is new in town and fascinated with another culture and also longing to fit in and have friends - to be like them. I remember feeling this way. Aping behaviour to belong.

Can’t imagine being a girl of this age coming up in internet era. Instagram likes or you’re a loser. No wonder girls fall into this, specializing themselves before they’re old enough to even know what it means.

Watching videos of much older girls seeing them dance in videos sexually. I remember this. I just wanted to be grown up and cool. It’s all a form of dress up.

Thoughts : we can’t have a world where Cardi B exists as a public figure and expect young girls not to emulate this shit. They see EVERYTHING. We are rotten.

Omg these awkward interactions with older boys at this age. I have so many stories on this front I could fill a book. Going to the fair just to have these silly interactions.

The girls are goofing around in the woods and one of them blows up a used condom they found and thinks it’s a balloon. This could happen. Kids don’t know what they don’t know. It’s a great way to show how these girls are very much still children playing with adult concepts.

I can’t tell you how familiar this feels and how many awkward memories are resurfacing for me from this time in my life. The director knows what she’s doing.

Now the girls are goofing around. Videoing with a crush of the protagonist and trying to seem older. I did this but in the phone with boys I liked. The fight scene is super realistic.

Aside: one of my “friends” at this age outed me to my crush. He was older. He said out loud in front of everyone “omg that cross eyed fag likes me?” The boy i adored said that. I poured a NY Seltzer over her head at the neighborhood hang and NEVER talked to her again. I’d fight.

I was probably 11 or 12.

So girl is going to replace other girl as dancer. She does a sort of try out for her friend. Friend is like you’re good but I need the other girls to buy in. So ignorant girl from other cultures starts in with lewd moves she saw adults do online. And the others are like “wow”

Point is she introduced this to have something of value to contribute to the in group. I can’t TELL YOU how accurate this is. I drank. I smoked. I tried things to be cool. It’s a rite of passage. It’s what happens growing up. Inescapable.

Now they’re rehearsing the moves. She so happy. Her knowledge has made her the alpha. They rehearse and giggle and nobody knows what they’re doing is gross. Because they’re kids.

I remember being really into Madonna. Rented “Like a Virgin” over and over. Leaned the dancing. Writhing around on the floor like my idol and my mom being horrified. I didn’t know why. So real.

She’s just been awakened before dawn to chop 100 onions for her fathers wedding. She goes to the closet and the dress she’s supposed to wear, and loathes, is bleeding?

Not sure what that symbolizes yet.

It’s a period. She got her first period. Had mine at 11 too. Got boobs before the other girls. At one point I was so embarrassed by this I told the girls that were picking on me that I stuffed my bra. BECAUSE THATS COOL

This is legit the worst time in a girls life.

Her grandmother tells her she was engaged at 11. This is the culture she lives in. Western culture is what she aspires to. And they’re the same shabby treatment of women as subservient sexual objects. Apples to apples.

Mother says “you’re a woman now”. I can’t tell you how confusing and scary that is at 11. Willing to bet new wife of father will be same age as this girl. Can you imagine?

Security guard scene is blown out of proportion. Also it’s the truth. People don’t like the truth. But I started getting male attention at about this same age. My mom would be livid when she’d notice. I was oblivious to what it meant.

Now the whole school thinks she’s the coolest cat ever. All the boys are looking at her. All the girls want to be her. Social media blowin up. This is the reality for girls now. And it happens earlier than what is decent because of exposure. It’s a reality we need to face.

Undies scene is totally what would happen in a girl fight. It’s portrayed well and isn’t at all gratuitous.

She’s such a little thief and I totally relate to every aspect of it.

I love how the wind blows life into the dress she hates and fills it out. It’s like a question. What kind of woman do you want to be? At least in her culture, there is dignity and honor. What is the end game? Figuring this out at 11. The dress signifies her crossroads.

Bras and panties in the wind. Womanhood and what to make of it. Is it Victoria’s Secret? lol. We’re sold so much.

I’m not a feminist. I’m just a female. And this is cutting.

“This is how the people I look up to behave. So I’ll behave the same”

What she thinks she needs to do to get the phone back. Based on her experience. Humiliating and horrifying and true.

What she does next is not realistic. Or is it? It’s horrifying.

And there it is. Slut. It’s a consequence.

The pencil stabbing is realistic. Been there.

Now it’s all wrong. Craving attention and validation has gone to the point of no return. Rejected at school. Mother is beating her ass.

IF YOU HAVE A DAUGHTER YOU NEED TO WATCH THIS. UNDERSTAND. PREVENT. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH.

Basically an exorcism is happening.

Now her friends are like “wtf”. She went too far and now they’re all being called sluts. THIS IS HOW IT IS. I can’t tell you how many girls I saw ostracized from their in groups based on this. In my day a rumor was enough.

“We’re not strippers, even if you are”. This shit.

Ostracisation. All around.

Old girl back in the fold. Girl behavior all too familiar.

Amy. I’m willing to be your friend just not when we’re around the others. I’m sorry. FUCK

Bride of dad appears. Like a spectre. Looks very young.

Here we go competition time tense tense pushed a bitch into the river damn

Single pedo in the audience. Everyone else HARD NO

This is fucking brilliant

Deafening blackout wtf am I doing. Also brilliant.

Mother is a GODDESS

Crying