ONION CRITICIZED FOR JOKE ABOUT QUVENZHANE WALLIS

Actress Quvenzhane Wallis arrives at the 85th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday Feb. 24, 2013, in Los Angeles. (Photo by John Shearer/Invision/AP)

A tweet from The Onion about the 9-year-old star of "Beasts of the Southern Wild" is drawing criticism for being tasteless, even amid the constant social media satire of the Oscars.

The satirical newspaper called Quvenzhane (kwuh-VEHN'-juh-nay) Wallis an expletive intended to denigrate women. The joke was meant to parody how beloved Quvenzhane is, but many thought the language inappropriate for discussing a child.

The Onion deleted the tweet about an hour after it was posted. Still, that was enough time to create a firestorm online with many saying the remark crossed a line.

A spokeswoman for The Onion didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Not everyone thought the tweet went too far: It was retweeted more than 500 times and favorited by some 400 before being deleted.

— Jake Coyle — http://twitter.com/jake_coyle

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