Popular Australian singer and director Sia has ended up facing a severe backlash online due to a particular casting decision she made in a certain upcoming feature of hers.
Earlier this week, Sia offered her social media audience a sneak peek of a new movie she wrote and directed, "Music", which is set to be released next year.
The film's cast includes Maddie Ziegler who, while not disabled herself, portrays a "teen with autism who conveys her feelings to the outside world through a tablet", as CNN points out, with the character apparently being based on Sia's "neuroatypical friend" who found it too stressful being nonverbal.
This casting choice, however, apparently did not sit well with quite a few netizens, who went on to give Sia a piece of their mind, with even the National Autistic Society joining the discussion.
In response, Sia herself launched a flurry of tweets to defend her decision, arguing that she "cast thirteen neuroatypical people, three trans folk, and not as f*cking prostitutes or drug addicts" but as "doctors, nurses and singers", and that she "hired plenty of special abilities kids".
Many social media users,however, appeared unconvinced by her reasoning.
A number of people, however, seemed to approve of Sia's move.