Millie Bobby Brown bashes press for ‘bullying’ her over grown-up appearance

Millie Bobby Brown won’t have it anymore.

The actress is standing up for herself after facing harsh media scrutiny over her evolving appearance. 

The Stranger Things star, 20, took to Instagram to call out what she described as “bullying” from certain publications, criticizing their focus on dissecting her looks rather than her work.

“I started in this industry when I was 10 years old,” Brown wrote in the caption of her video post. 

“I grew up in front of the world, and for some reason, people can’t seem to grow with me. 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.”

In the video, Brown directly addressed specific headlines, reading aloud the most outrageous ones, including “Why are Gen Zers like Millie Bobby Brown ageing so badly?” and “What has Millie Bobby Brown done to her face?” 

She expressed particular frustration over an article that amplified a joke made at her expense, saying, “It was amplifying an insult rather than questioning why a grown man is mocking a young woman’s appearance.”

Brown, who has been making red carpet appearances in recent weeks to promote her new Netflix film The Electric State, made it clear that she refuses to be shamed for growing up. 

“This isn’t journalism. This is bullying,” she stated. 

“The fact that adult writers are spending their time dissecting my face, my body, my choices, it’s disturbing. The fact that some of these articles are written by women? Even worse. We always talk about supporting and uplifting young women, but when the time comes, it seems easier to tear them down for clicks.”

She went on to highlight a troubling societal pattern, “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.”

Brown concluded with a broader message, calling for a shift in how people engage with young women in the public eye. 

“We have become a society where it’s so much easier to criticize than it is to pay a compliment. Why is the knee-jerk reaction to say something horrible rather than to say something nice? If you have a problem with that, I have to wonder—what is it that actually makes you so uncomfortable? Let’s do better. Not just for me, but for every young girl who deserves to grow up without fear of being torn apart for simply existing.”

With her strong stance, Brown is making it clear that she won’t let negativity define her journey into adulthood—on her terms.