The popular Netflix series “Stranger Things” premiered in 2016. At that point, one of the beloved stars of the show, actress Millie Bobby Brown, who plays the character of Eleven, was just 12 years old.

We’ve seen plenty of Hollywood child stars grow up in front of the world, and we’ve also seen the damage that all that scrutiny can do to a person. Brown, who is now 21 years old, is experiencing that in real time, but refuses to put up with it.

Millie Bobby Brown stands up to “bullying” news outlets

In an Instagram post, Brown called out several media outlets for their criticism of her appearance. It’s normal that a 12-year-old girl would look pretty different as a 21-year-old woman. But several outlets not only acknowledged the change in her appearance over time, but criticized it.

In the video post, Brown points out that one outlet asked what happened to her face while another asked why “Gen Zers like her are ageing so badly”. She called the articles “disturbing” for “dissecting my face, my body, my choices” and directly read from some of the articles she was referencing.

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

Brown also noted that it felt “even worse” that some of the articles were written by women, who should be lifting other women up rather than “tearing them down for clicks”.

“We always talk about supporting and uplifting young women, but when the time comes, it seems easier to tear them down for clicks. Disillusioned people can’t handle seeing a girl become a woman on her terms, not theirs,” Brown said. “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.”

Whatever the critics have to say, Brown has been extremely successful in her career. Netflix is expected to release the fifth and final season of “Stranger Things” this year, with Brown having appeared in all five seasons. For her role in the series, she was nominated for a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series and an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series and won the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series with her co-stars in 2017.

She became a Netflix sensation due to her portrayal of Eleven, but also for her roles on “Enola Holmes” and “Damsel”. She’s recently made several red carpet appearances on her publicity tour for her new Netflix movie “The Electric State”, which will be released this Friday, March 7. She also launched her own beauty line, Florence by Mills, in 2019.

On top of that, she seems to have a great head on her shoulders.

“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.”

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