‘People can’t seem to grow up with me’: Millie Bobby Brown responds to bodyshamers
Millie Bobby Brown has been part of the entertainment industry for a good portion of her life. And it has led to many sexualizing her at a young age, commenting on her body, and feeling the need to put her under a microscope.
The star of Netflix’s The Electric State recently went to the Los Angeles premiere and was met with many publications online and “fans” commenting on Brown’s looks. For years, people have commented on her appearance and said that she looked “older” than her age or commented on her body and now the star is pushing back.
Brown took to Instagram to post a video about those commenting on her looks. “I grew up in front of the world and for some reason people can’t seem to grow up with me,” Brown 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 one. And because I don’t, I’m now a target.”
She went on to talk about the journalists who have published piece talking about her looks. “The fact that adult writers are spending their time dissecting my face, my body, my choices, is disturbing,” Brown said. “That some of these articles are written by women makes it even worse,” she said and went on to plea for everyone to “do better” when talking about women. “Let’s do better, not just for me but for every young girl who deserves to grow up without the fear of being torn apart for simply existing.”
Brown is not the first woman to push back at those talking about their looks and their bodies and, unfortunately, she probably won’t be the last to do it either.
It is a horror tale as old as Hollywood itself
Growing up is hard enough but growing up in Hollywood feels overwhelming. Already, we as women have to watch the looks of other women get criticized time and time again. When we see things like Brown trending because people are mocking how they think she doesn’t “look her age,” other women see that.
When you comment on how someone dresses or the make-up they wear or even their hairstyle, other women see it. Often, we’re subjected to public scrutiny whether we like it or not because we can see ourselves in these celebrities being torn down. So often we hear about how a starlet has struggled with her own self-image because of public perception. These women are often deemed the most beautiful among us and yet they are criticized at every turn.
Things like that is what makes Brown’s statement so powerful and yet upsetting: We’ve been here before and it is constantly happening. Women have to be “perfect” in every way but not too perfect and it is an impossible balance to strike. So Brown calling out those commenting on her is a step in the right direction.
I just hope that this time around, we actually listen to the women (myself included) who want the hatred of women and our bodies to stop.
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