Millie Bobby Brown responds to articles criticizing her appearance

Millie Bobby Brown at the 2025 Brit Awards in London. (Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP via CNN Newsource)

Millie Bobby Brown has spoken out against a series of articles criticizing her appearance during her ongoing press tour for the Netflix film, “The Electric State.”

On Monday, the “Stranger Things” actor posted a video on Instagram where she called out the media for “bullying” and “tearing young women down,” and addressed each journalist that had scrutinized her looks by name.

Over the past week, Brown has been the subject of several articles after she debuted a blonde ‘90s blowout while promoting her new film. While the platinum look, paired with ‘90s and Y2K-inspired ensembles, generated excitement among fans who hoped that it was Brown’s way of hinting at her role in a Britney Spears biopic, other publications criticized the actor for having “aged far beyond her years.”

Brown, whose career in the entertainment industry began at 10 years old, fired back at articles that questioned the changes in her appearance as she matured. Among those she called out had headlines such as “What has Millie Bobby Brown done to her face?” and “Millie Bobby Brown mistaken for someone’s mom as she guides younger sister Ava through LA”.

“I grew up in front of the world, and for some reason, people can’t seem to grow with me,” said Brown on Instagram. “Instead, they act like I’m supposed to stay frozen in time, like I should look the way I did on ‘Stranger Things’ Season 1. And now because I don’t, I’m a target.”

Brown, now 21, pointed out that the focus on her looks was not only cruel but reflected the unrealistic standards directed at young women. “The fact that adult writers are spending their time dissecting my face, my body, my choices, it’s disturbing,” she said. “The fact that some of these articles are written by women? Even worse.”

She isn’t the only star who has fought back at judgmental comments made about their appearance in recent years. In 2023, Madonna similarly took to Instagram after photos of her performing at the Grammys went viral — sparking comments that she was “obsessed with plastic surgery” (the singer has never publicly addressed rumours of cosmetic enhancements).

The 66-year-old musician wrote that “ageism and misogyny… permeates the world we live in,” adding that the world “refuses to celebrate women past the age of 45.”

Brown’s Instagram video — which, at the time of writing, has 1.6 million likes, accumulated in less than 12 hours — has received an outpour of support from A-listers such as Sarah Jessica Parker, Sharon Stone, Matthew Modine and Winnie Harlow.

Brown herself ended the post on a defiant note: “I refuse to apologize for growing up,” she said. “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.”

Article written by Leah Dolan, CNN