Millie Bobby Brown Demands Press Stop Slamming Her Body in Headlines

Millie Bobby Brown recently told British Vogue that her biggest issue with the press is the need for journalists to outright slam celebrities in article headlines. The “Stranger Things” star went viral in March when she posted an Instagram video that called out The Daily Mail and other publications for bullying her with headlines that criticized her physical appearance while she was on the press tour for Netflix’s “The Electric State.” Brown told Vogue that she was “crying every day” having to endure these headlines.

“‘Oh my God, what has she done with her face? Why has she gone blonde? She looks 60 years old!’” Brown said, mocking the press headlines. “I respect journalism. I love reading articles on my favorite 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.”

The various headlines written about Brown at the time included the likes of “Why are Gen Zers like Millie Bobby Brown ageing so badly?” and “What has Millie Bobby Brown done to her face?” These articles made Brown “depressed for three, four days,” she told Vogue. The actor even recalled weeping backstage at the BRIT Awards before presenting Sabrina Carpenter with an award.

“I was crying while I was getting my hair and make-up done. I was even welling up when I saw [Sabrina] backstage,” Brown remembered. “Her mentality is very much like ‘Fuck ’em’, which I knew inside of me, but when you hear someone else say it, you’re like, ‘Yes! That’s it!’”

“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,” Brown added about why she posted 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.”

In her March video post, Brown said the press “act like I’m supposed to stay frozen in time” when it comes to her physical appearance, and she blasted “the people who are so desperate to tear young women down.”

“This isn’t journalism. This is bullying,” Brown said of the press coverage. “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. 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 is back making the press rounds ahead of the launch of “Stranger Things 5,” which is also the Netflix series’ last. But things are a lot different this time around, as Brown announced in late August that she adopted a baby girl with husband Jake Bongiovi. Brown told Vogue that protecting her daughter from the press is of the upmost importance.

“For me, it’s really important to protect her and her story until she’s old enough to potentially one day share it herself,” Brown said. “It’s not my place to purposefully put her in the spotlight unwillingly. If she chooses to share her personality one day with the world, like I did when I was young, that’s something we’d support. But right now, as she’s so little… As her parents, it’s our job to protect her from that.”

Head over to British Vogue’s website to read Brown’s cover story in its entirety.