During her most recent appearance on the “Guilty Feminist” podcast, Millie Bobby Brown decided to speak up about the sexualization she has faced on social media from a very young age. The talented actor was only 12 when she made her debut in the Netflix series “Stranger Things”, after which she went on to become a household, Hollywood name.
Brown told hosts Deborah Frances-White and Susan Wokoma about the struggles any 18 year old faces, such as dealing with relationships and making decisions about the future, and how these issues are amplified when it’s a young woman doing it in the public eye. The Florence by Mills CEO stated that she has “definitely been dealing with [being sexualized] more within the last two weeks of turning 18 — definitely seeing a difference between the way people act and the way that the press and social media have reacted to me coming of age.”
However, the lowering comments did not start when she became an 18 year old. The star recalls a specific moment when she was 16, when social media flooded with comments about her wearing a low-cut gown to an awards show which left her teenage self in awe of the attention people were giving to such matters.
After reflecting on the matters, Millie added:
I believe that shouldn’t change anything, but it’s gross and it’s true. It’s a very good representation of what’s going on in the world and how young girls are sexualized. I have been dealing with that — but I have also been dealing with that forever.”
Instead of focusing on her incredible talent, Millie Bobby Brown is forced to face the same fate that millions of girls and women around the globe are also facing on and off social media. It is almost impossible to scroll through your feed without finding a demeaning comment about a girl or woman’s body, speech, actions.
It seems that sexualization was and still is one of the ugly sides of Hollywood seeing that other famous women, such as Britney Spears, Natalie Portman, and Megan Fox have also spoken about the same issue in the past. If there’s one thing celebrities, influencers and regular women shouldn’t do, it’s stay silent; even if speaking up does not seem effective immediately, you will be driving change and paving the way for future women to live a life free from objectification.