Originally appeared on E! Online
Millie Bobby Brown is advocating for young women everywhere.
One week after the Stranger Things star posted a now-viral video clapping back at critics accusing her of “aging so badly,” she doubled down on her message. After all, she expressed that the issue at hand is much bigger than herself.
“It’s not just for people in the industry,” Millie said on Today March 11. “It’s for young girls all over the world that feel like they’re targeted or harassed at times for the way they look or the way they present themselves.”
Millie, now 21, was thrust into the public eye at the young age of 9 with her first acting role on Once Upon a Time in Wonderland and scored her breakout role on Stranger Things shortly after. As a result, the child star learned very early on how ruthless public criticism can get.
“I guess I just realized that if I’m not going to say it,” she continued, “and I’m never going to find a good time to say it, then why wait and just do it now.”
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After mustering up the courage to post the vulnerable video to her Instagram, the Enola Holmes actress—who tied the knot with Jake Bongiovi last May—decided step away from social media for a bit. After all, there was no telling how her followers would receive the message.
“I kind of shut my phone off after,” she noted, “because I was a little overwhelmed.”
But upon picking her phone back up, she was pleasantly surprised by the abundance of support she received from her fans.
“I’m so happy that people were able to feel like they connected with the video,” she said. “It was a scary thing to do. I didn’t know how people were going to react, so it’s nice to see that reaction.”
In recent months, social media users have been particularly cruel in their efforts to pick apart Millie’s look at the premiere of her film Electric State in February, inquiring about what work she had “done to her face” and analyzing her physical appearance.
JB Lacroix/FilmMagic
“I grew up in front of the world, and for some reason, people can’t seem to grow with me,” Millie said in a March 3 Instagram video. “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 one. And because I don’t, I’m now a target.”
However, it wasn’t just the keyboard warriors that were critiquing her appearance. Millie also went on to cite multiple news articles that tore her down for clicks.
“This isn’t journalism. This is bullying,” Millie stated. “The fact that adult writers are spending their time dissecting my face, my body, my choices, it’s disturbing. The fact that some of these articles are written by women? Even worse.”
“Let’s do better,” she concluded. “Not just for me, but for every young girl who deserves to grow up without fear of being torn apart for simply existing.”
For more of Millie’s clapbacks, keep reading…
(E! and Today are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)
She’s No Longer Eleven
Having been in the spotlight since her Stanger Things debut at age 12 in 2016, Millie Bobby Brown has faced increased scrutiny for her appearance as she enters her 20s, with some fans opining that she looks and dresses older than her age. Millie, in response, took the opportunity to highlight the systemic issue “bigger than just me” that women face in an Instagram video March 3.
“I grew up in front of the world, and for some reason, people can’t seem to grow with me,” she shared. “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 one. And because I don’t, I’m now a target.”
She took particular issue with people she felt were tearing her—and other stars—down just to get attention.
“I refuse to make myself smaller to fit the unrealistic expectations of people who can’t handle seeing a girl become a woman,” she said. “I will not be shamed for how I look, how I dress, or how I present myself.”
Millie continued, “Let’s do better. Not just for me, but for every young girl who deserves to grow up without fear of being torn apart for simply existing.”
What a Strange Thing to Say
Following her appearance at The Electric State premiere Feb. 24, comments flooded Millie’s social media criticizing her look. One user wrote “Literally had to double check she turned 21 the other day and not 40,” while another commented, “Lookin older than ever!!”
Responding to the criticism, British Vogue published an article titled, “No One Cares How Old You Think Millie Bobby Brown Looks.”
Particularly Millie herself, who reshared the article on her Instagram Story Feb. 27, writing, “Thank you.”
Her Age is Not a Mystery
While critics were quick to comment on a Dec. 29 mirror selfie Millie posted, accusing her of making herself look older than she is, the Enola Holmes actress was faster to clap back.
“Women grow!!” she captioned her Jan. 1 Instagram Story. “Not sorry about it :)”
Her Accent Isn’t From the Upside Down
In a March 2024 interview, Tiktoker Max Balegde asked the Florence by Mills founder about comments from fans wondering if she was losing her British accent.
“Let me speak to that real quick,” Millie responded. “I’m an actor. I grew up in the public eye. I grew up in America. I come to set and I’m an actor and I adapt. And so I want to mimic people.”
While she agreed she does sound more American in different settings, like with her fiancé Jake Bongiovi or on a late-night show with a host like Jimmy Fallon, she “can’t help” that, countering her British accent is more prominent when she’s in England.
“I don’t do it intentionally,” she continued. “I’m sorry if it offends you. Okay, but listen, I’m trying my best. I’m trying my best!”
She’s No Damsel
Millie noticed a difference in how people began to treat her after she turned 18 in 2022. On The Guilty Feminist podcast that April, she opened up about having to navigate being a young adult while existing “in the public eye.”
“But it’s gross and it’s true and so I think it’s just a very good representation of what’s going on in the world and how young girls are sexualized and so I have been dealing with that but have also been dealing with that for forever.”
The child star recalled a time she wore a poofy dress to a red carpet when she was 16 and was criticized for trying to appear older with its low cut.
“I thought, ‘Is this really what we’re talking about?’” she added. “We should be talking about the incredible people that were there at the awards show, the talent that was there and the people that we’re representing.”
At the time, she decided to stop posting anything personal to her social media, instead hoping to use her platform to inspire others.
“You’re not gonna see that part of me,” she explained. “You get to see the things I choose to put out in the world. I hope if there’s a 12-year-old that’s told Instagram they’re 18, and they’ve created an account, they’re going on my account and they’re not being exploited to the horrible world that’s out there.”
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