Millie Bobby Brown is Tired of Being Bullied Just for Doing Her Job
Being in the spotlight can be hard for any celebrity, but when your star rises before you even reach adulthood, it can be even harder. Growing up in the spotlight is a whole other level of hard.
The constant criticism and fanfare can get to be a bit much, even for the most level-headed teen star. Some will choose to take it in silence. Others, like Millie Bobby Brown, are bringing attention to the inappropriateness they have to deal with just for doing their jobs.
Millie Bobby Brown as a child star
True, most children and teens don’t work until they’re at least 16, so when one of them gets into acting, they’re starting their work-life early. With that work comes a whole set of adult-like problems.
Getting up one time and getting to the set, deciding what to do with the money they make, and dealing with criticism they shouldn’t even have to be thinking about.
There’s also the inappropriate sexualizing that comes with the territory, which Brown points out has been happening since she was 12 and rose to fame in season one of Stranger Things.
Millie Bobby Brown gets real
She recently posted a video on Instagram to celebrate her 16th birthday, which was on February 19th. In it, she took the time to share the pain and insecurity that’s followed her through the years.
She wrote, “The last few years haven’t been easy, I’ll admit that. There are moments I get frustrated from the inaccuracy, inappropriate comments, sexualization, and unnecessary insults that ultimately have resulted in pain and insecurity for me.”
She chose to speak up to help shed light on what goes on behind the scenes of the headlines and flashing lights. She also called for change, saying it needed to happen for this generation and the next. “Our world needs kindness and support in order for us children to grow and succeed,” she urged.
The song that accompanied her video post was Justin Bieber’s Changes, which speaks to her situation in an astonishingly real way. After the headlines flash across the screen, you see a montage of images of Brown handling the paparazzi and then just being Brown, in all her teenage glory.
The headlines really are inappropriate
“Millie Bobby Brown CRITICIZED For Adult Style,” “Millie Bobby Brown quits Twitter after being targeted by homophobic meme,” “Millie Bobby Brown says she felt ‘scared and helpless’ after being bullied online,” and maybe most absurd of all, “When did Millie Bobby Brown go through the change???”
You can see why she was getting a bit insecure and why she was dealing with anxiety over it all.
It’s not the only controversy she’s had to deal with though. She got dragged for sampling her skincare routine the ‘wrong way’ when that wasn’t her intention. She’s also said red carpets can be tough to attend because no matter how she dresses, it’s just not right in some way or another. But she’s only just now 16, and people need to cut her a break.
In the end, Brown didn’t let it get her down, though. While she was sharing her take on what seemed to be a difficult subject, she made sure to let her fans know that it wasn’t going to stop her from smiling. And the support she received? Epic.
From Octavia Spencer to MTV and Netflix, the support was evident. Celeb dads said she was a great role model for their daughters. Fans agreed with her and praised her for standing up for child stars and girls everywhere. One even pointed out that yes, “They attack young women for dressing too provocative, then criticize them for dressing mature. Women can never win.” Way to go, Millie!
