Millie Bobby Brown has been in the public eye since she was just 13-years-old, when she first rose to fame for her beloved role in Stranger Things.
Now, 5 years later, the actress recently turned 18, becoming an “adult” in the eyes of the law. Unfortunately, even though she’s still quite young, that’s caused a “gross” shift in the way certain people talk about Brown.
During a recent appearance on The Guilty Feminist podcast with Deborah Frances-White and Susan Wokoma, the Enola Holmes star opened up about this shift, talking about how coming of age “can be really overwhelming.”
“I have definitely been dealing with that, more within the last two weeks of turning 18,” said the star, whose 18th birthday was on February 19. “Definitely seeing a difference between the way people act and the way the press and social media have reacted to me coming of age.”
Brown went on to say that despite the unfortunate shift that she’s noticed, she believes turning a certain age “shouldn’t change anything.”
“But it’s gross, and it’s true,” she said, “I think it’s just a very good representation of what’s going on in the world and how young girls are sexualized. And so I have been dealing with that, but also have been dealing with that for forever.”
These comments from Millie come two years after she wrote a post on her 16th birthday back in 2020, in which she reflected on the “sexualization” and “unnecessary insults” she has endured since rising to fame.
“[Sixteen] has felt like a long time coming,” she wrote at the time. “[I] feel like change needs to happen for not only this generation but the next. our world needs kindness and support in order for us children to grow and succeed.”
Brown continued, “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.”
“I’ll continue doing what I love and spreading the message in order to make change,” the actress concluded. “Let’s focus on what needs changing and I hope this video informs you on the things that go on behind the scenes of the headlines and flashing lights.”
