Millie Bobby Brown is reminding both media and social media users to consider the impact of the words they leave online.
In a video recently posted to Instagram, the British star called out a number of tabloid journalists who have been writing articles about her appearance.
“I grew up in front of the world, and for some reason people can’t seem to grow up with me,” she began. “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 read out four headlines that were written while on her most recent press tour for Electric State – and yes, she pointed out the journalists by name too. (We won’t be mentioning them here!)
“Amplifying an insult… This is not journalism. This is bullying. The fact that adult writers are spending their time dissecting my face, my body, my choices, is disturbing, and the fact that some of these articles are written by women makes it even worse. We always talk about supporting and uplifting young women but when it comes down to it, it seems a lot easier to just tear them down for clicks.”
Millie explained that she felt compelled to share her thoughts because this is “something that affects every young woman who grows up under public scrutiny.”
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She powerfully continued, “I refuse to apologise 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. We have become a society where it’s so much easier to criticise than it is to pay a compliment. Why is it the knee-jerk reaction to say something horrible rather than just say something nice?”
Her message ended with a call to action: “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.”
You can watch her message in full below:
(Feature Image Credit: Millie Bobby Brown photo by Oscar Gonzalez Fuentes/Shutterstock.com)
