Millie Bobby Brown Slammed Media for "Bullying" Her About Her Appearance

Millie Bobby Brown is pushing back on the “disturbing” online discourse over her changing appearance and age. As the Stranger Things star prepares to reprise her role as Eleven in the Netflix series’ fifth and final season, the now 21-year-old actress took to Instagram to speak up against hateful comments directed at her face and body in an emotional video.

“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,” the former child star shared, referencing a recent onslaught of stories speculating on her grown-up appearance. "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. And because I don’t, I’m now a target.”

Brown–who recently debuted a new blonde hair makeover on the red carpet–then addressed a recent uptick in “disturbing” articles speculating on plastic surgery and her appearance as she called out “the people who are so desperate to tear young women down.” While questioning one writer’s decision to amplify rude comments instead of “questioning why a grown man is mocking a young woman’s appearance” in one example, the Enola Holmes actress took a firm stand against the “bullying” and called the media out for “tearing [her] down for clicks.”

“The fact that adult writers are spending their time dissecting my face, my body, my choices, it’s disturbing,” she said, adding, “Disillusioned people can’t handle seeing a girl become a woman on her terms, not theirs. I refuse to apologize for growing up. I refuse to make myself smaller to fit the unrealistic expectations of people who can’t handle seeing a girl become a woman. I will not be shamed for how I look, how I dress, or how I present myself.”

The Electric State actress concluded her message by urging people to “do better,” a call that she said was “not just for me, but for every young girl who deserves to grow up without fear of being torn apart for simply existing.”

It’s not the first time the British star has pushed back on similar commentary, as she recently took to her Instagram Story to re-share a British Vogue article with the headline, “No One Cares How Old You Think Millie Bobby Brown Looks.”

Meanwhile, after a late 2024 mirror selfie inspired a slew of comments about her mature appearance, Brown commented on January 1, “Women grow!! Not sorry about it :).”

Read the original article on InStyle