“Stranger Things” star Millie Bobby Brown knows some people have strong opinions about her looks. Still, she says, “I will not be shamed for how I look, how I dress, or how I present myself.”
The 21-year-old actor on Monday told fans on Instagram she felt she had become a “target” for harmful comments and tabloid articles “written by people who are so desperate to tear young women down.” In her video and in her caption, Brown took a stand against her critics, including several journalists whom she identified by name.
“I think it’s necessary to speak up about this. I started in this industry when I was 10 years old. I grew up in front of the world, and for some reason, people can’t seem to grow with me,” she said. “Instead, they act like I’m supposed to stay frozen in time, like I should still look the way I did on ‘Stranger Things’ Season 1.”
In her video, Brown set her sights on multiple Daily Mail reporters and read aloud catty headlines including, “Why are Gen Zers like Millie Bobby Brown ageing so badly?” British comedian and former “Great British Bake Off” host Matt Lucas also found himself in the mix for comparing one of Brown’s recent public appearances to his unflattering character Vicky Pollard. Lucas has since penned an apology for his comments.
In multiple articles about Brown, the Daily Mail features negative social media comments about Brown’s appearance and input from aestheticians about plastic surgery. The “Enola Holmes” star didn’t take kindly to that.
“This isn’t journalism. This is bullying,” she said Monday. “The fact that adult writers are spending their time dissecting my face, my body, my choices, it’s disturbing.”
Brown, married to Jon Bon Jovi’s son Jake Bongiovi, said she was even more disturbed that some of the reporters behind the demeaning coverage were women and mourned that “it seems easier to tear [young women] down for clicks.”
She added: “Disillusioned people can’t handle seeing a girl become a woman on her terms, not theirs.”
Years before the latest flurry of articles, Brown spoke out about her time in the public eye. In 2022, she opened up about feeling sexualized at a young age and the backlash she faced for wearing a lower-cut gown to an awards show. She said at the time she was “crucified for looking like a 60-year-old.”
Other former child stars including Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande also have addressed and shut down scrutiny of their looks in the past couple of years. Brown told followers on Monday, “I refuse to apologize for growing up.”
She concluded her video encouraging followers and critics to think twice before passing judgment, and to try out kindness before saying “something horrible.”
“Let’s do better,” Brown said. “Not just for me but for every young girl who deserves to grow up without fear of being torn apart for simply existing.”
Brown quickly rose to fame in 2016 for her star-making portrayal of the telekinetic Eleven in Netflix’s “Stranger Things.” The series, created by showrunners Matt and Ross Duffer, is on track to end later this year with its fifth and final season.
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