Millie Bobby Brown was just a preteen when the first season of Stranger Things was released. As such, viewers watched her grow up throughout the show’s lengthy production periods, and she’ll now be 21-years-old and married by the time it ends this year. There have been plenty of reactions over the years as a result, with many headlines criticizing and insulting her body and looks, and now Millie Bobby Brown is calling out the press.
In a new interview, Millie Bobby Brown discussed all aspects of her current life and many reactions to her past, and naturally the backlash she’s received online came up. Of course, the internet has become progressively difficult when it comes to avoiding negativity, and Brown has her own way to tolerate it by using humor.
Here’s what she shared on that front with Vogue:
‘Oh my God, what has she done with her face? Why has she gone blonde? She looks 60 years old!’”
She continued:
“I respect journalism. I love reading articles on my favourite people and hearing what they’re up to. I understand that there’s paparazzi, even though it’s invasive, even though it feels like shit to me – I know that’s your job… But don’t, in your headline, slam me at the get-go. It is so wrong and it is bullying, especially to young girls who are new to this industry and are already questioning everything about it.”
With headlines criticizing everything to her hair, face, and how she’s aged, it certainly took an emotional toll on the young celebrity:
“I was depressed for three, four days. I was crying every day,” she shared. Brown even opened up about one such experience that happened when she traveled to London to present Sabrina Carpenter’s award at the Brit Awards:
“I was crying while I was getting my hair and make-up done. I was even welling up when I saw her backstage.”
Fortunately, Carpenter had some advice for Brown that resonated with her:
“Truly, always, her mentality is very much like ‘F*ck ’em’, which I knew inside of me, but when you hear someone else say it, you’re like, ‘Yes! That’s it!’”
This led to an Instagram video earlier this year where Brown called out her critics. She opened up about her video and why she shared it during the new interview:
“If me being blonde or wearing more make-up really bothers you, I’m going to address it – not just for myself, but for every other girl who wants to try a new hairstyle or wear a red lip,” she said in the Instagram video. “It’s, like, get off my fucking case, you know? I am 21. I am going to have fun and play and be myself.”
Of course, she has since found her voice, and she has chosen to use it in an effort to empower other women. As she continues her personal life and pushes her career ahead following the conclusion of Netflix‘s Stranger Things, it’s clear that she’s no longer the preteen she was when the show first started. Therefore, it’s exciting to see Millie Bobby Brown continue her life and avoid the negativity that the internet is always attempting to throw at her between headlines and social media.