Milly Alcock Gets a Super Wave of Support Over Americans’ Obsession with Her Teeth

Milly Alcock probably wasn’t expecting online coverage of Supergirl‘s world premiere to become an open discussion about her teeth. The Australian actress is finding her place in Hollywood thanks to starring roles in HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon and as Supergirl in James Gunn’s DCU.

With that kind of attention come the unnecessary obsessions of social media, which has seen the Alcock become the center of a conversation she probably was not expecting to be a huge topic following the world premiere of her new superhero movie.

On Monday in Brooklyn, New York, Alcock joined Superman co-stars David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan and Nicholas Hoult, director Craig Gillespie and producer James Gunn on the red carpet. The London premiere earlier in the month also had people online talking. As clips and photos circulated online, a wave of mostly American social media users began commenting on her smile in TikTok videos and X comment threads, asking what was “wrong” with her teeth or why they weren’t the uniform, brilliant white expected of a Hollywood lead.

Social Media Is Still Trying to Dictate Beauty Norms

For every derogatory joke, comparison video putting her alongside movie aliens, and comment questioning Alcock’s “bad teeth,” there have been plenty of rallying responses to counter the negativity with praise for the young star and her completely normal, natural appearance. Many of those commenting from outside the U.S., particularly the British, who have often been the butt of the joke when it comes to dental comparisons, were quick to point out that the expectations of glistening veneers and bleached smiles that dominate American screens say more about U.S. beauty norms than about Alcock.

There is also a whole host of data backing up the argument that Alcock’s teeth are absolutely fine and not deserving of ridicule. The stereotype that people from Britain — where Alcock relocated to when landing her breakthrough role in House of the Dragon in 2022 — have worse teeth than Americans is easily debunked by a joint University of London and Harvard study, which found that the average American is missing more teeth than the average Briton. Throw in the inarguable medical fact that the natural color of teeth is creamy, thanks to the dentine beneath the enamel, plus the UK regularly topping charts for children’s oral health, and the jabs at Alcock start to look like little more than a touch of schoolyard bullying.

The actress has been candid about this kind of scrutiny before. Promoting Supergirl, she told Vanity Fair that being a woman in a major franchise means “simply existing” very quickly turns into a topic people feel entitled to comment on, particularly from behind the safety of a keyboard. This latest wave of attention has only served to hammer home a related point: however often people are asked to treat others online with a little respect, there are plenty who simply aren’t listening.

Milly Alcock Is the Superhero the World Needs Right Now

One thing that is clear is that Alcock is not allowing these opinions to dull her moment. The 26-year-old followed her HotD breakout, playing a young Rhaenyra Targaryen, with a role in Netflix’s Sirens before making her Supergirl debut in last year’s Superman. While initial reactions to the movie have been mixed among critics, everyone agrees that, along with the popular powerhouse that is Jason Momoa as Lobo, Alcock dominates the role of a rebellious, rough-edged Kara Zor-El.

Perhaps Supergirl‘s underlying theme, that women don’t have to conform to the expectations put upon them, is one that will go over people’s heads. In a time when many social media influencers are still selling products to young people and making them believe that white teeth and flawless skin are the only acceptable norm, perhaps Alcock’s Supergirl is exactly the superhero that the world needs. Supergirl opens in cinemas on June 26, 2026.

(featured image: Warner Bros. Pictures)

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