Millie Bobby Brown recently told British Vogue that her biggest problem with news organizations is the need for journalists to openly criticize celebrities in their headlines. The “Stranger Things” star made headlines in March when she posted an Instagram video accusing the Daily Mail and other publications of bullying her with headlines criticizing her appearance during the press tour for Netflix’s “The Electric State.” Brown told Vogue that she was “crying every day” as she had to endure these headlines.
“‘Oh my god, what did she do with her face? Why did she go blonde? She looks 60 years old!'” Brown said, mocking the press headlines. “I respect journalism. I love reading articles about people I like and hearing about what they’re doing. Even if it feels invasive and shitty to me, I understand that there are paparazzi. I know that’s your job…but please don’t criticize me in the first place with the headlines. It’s so wrong and it’s bullying, especially for young girls who are new to this industry and are already questioning everything about this industry.”
Various headlines written about Brown at the time included things like, “Why are Gen Zers like Millie Bobby Brown aging so much?” “What did Millie Bobby Brown do to her face?” After reading these articles, Brown told Vogue, “I felt depressed for about three or four days.” The actor even recalled crying backstage at the BRIT Awards before presenting the award to Sabrina Carpenter.
“I was crying while I was getting my hair and makeup done. Even when I saw[Sabrina]backstage, I just started bubbling up,” Brown recalled. “Her mentality is a lot like ‘fuck you,’ and I knew that in my heart, but when I hear someone else say that, I think, ‘Yes, you’re right!'”
“If I’m really concerned about going blonde or wearing more makeup, I’m going to address it. Not just for me, but for all the girls out there who want to try a new hairstyle or wear red lipstick,” Brown added of why she posted the video on Instagram. “It’s like a break from my shitty case, you know? I’m 21 years old. I’m going to have fun and play and be myself.”
In a March video post, Brown said reporters were “acting as if I had to be frozen in time” regarding her appearance and accused “people hell bent on tearing young women apart”.
“This is not journalism. This is bullying,” Brown said of the report. “The fact that adult writers are spending their time dissecting my face, my body, my choices, that’s disturbing. The fact that some of these articles are written by women? What’s worse: We always talk about supporting and uplifting young women, but when the time comes, it seems easier to tear them down for clicks, leaving disillusioned people to watch girls become women on their own terms, not on their own terms. I’m not going to apologize for growing up and I refuse to shrink myself to fit people’s unrealistic expectations.”People who can’t stand to see girls become women are not ashamed of how they look, how they dress, and how they present themselves. ”
Brown is holding another press conference ahead of the release of “Stranger Things 5,” which is also the last of the Netflix series. However, things are very different this time around, as Brown announced in late August that she and husband Jake Bongiovi had adopted a baby girl. Brown told Vogue that the most important thing for her was to protect her daughter from the press.
“It’s very important to me to protect her and her story until she’s old enough to one day share it for herself,” Brown said. “It’s not my place to unwillingly or intentionally put the spotlight on her. If she chooses to one day share her personality with the world, like I did when I was younger, that’s something we’ll support. But now that she’s so little… it’s our job as her parents to protect her from that.”
To read Brown’s full cover story, visit British Vogue’s website.
