‘Stranger Things’ Star Millie Bobby Brown Criticizes ‘Gross’ Social Media Reaction to Her Turning 18

After Millie Bobby Brown celebrated her 18th birthday in February, she was met with “gross” comments on social media, the Stranger Things star said during a recent podcast appearance. Brown believes the comments were a “very good representation” of the effects of young girls being sexualized in media. She recalled how the response to her decision to wear a low-cut dress at an event led to her refusing to post personal photos on social media.

“I deal with the same things any 18-year-old is dealing with, navigating being an adult and having relationships and friendships, and it’s all of those things,” Brown said on The Guilty Feminist podcast, notes E! News. “Being liked and trying to fit in, it’s all a lot, and you’re trying to find yourself while doing that. The only difference is that obviously, I’m doing that in the public eye.”

Brown, who was 12 when she joined Stranger Things, noticed a big difference in how she is treated since turning 18. She is “definitely seeing a difference between the way people act, and the way that the press and social media have reacted to me becoming of age.” Some of the comments were “gross” and are a “very good representation of what’s going on in the world and how young girls are sexualized, and so I have been dealing with that but have also been dealing with that for forever.”

The discussion reminded Brown of the strange response to her wearing a poofy, low-cut red dress to a red carpet and awards show. Critics said she looked “like a 16-year-old” at the event. She was bothered by the discussion focusing on her dress and not the nominees’ achievements. All that negative response led her to only use her social media accounts to inspire young girls. She is no longer sharing personal photos.

“You’re not gonna see that part of me,” she told The Guilty Feminist host Deborah Frances-White. “You get to see the things I choose to put out in the world. I hope if there’s a 12-year-old that’s told Instagram they’re 18, and they’ve created an account, they’re going on my account, and they’re not being exploited to the horrible world that’s out there.”

Brown hasn’t been shy about the impact growing up in the public eye has had. After she turned 17, she told MTV News her fans were struggling to accept that she was becoming a young woman. “I’m only 17, but at the end of the day, I’m learning to be a woman. I’m learning to be a young woman,” Brown said. “So being a young girl, people watch you grow up, right? And they’ve almost become invested in your growth and your journey. But they aren’t ready to accept the fact that you’re growing up.”

Brown stars as Eleven in Netflix’s Stranger Things, which will return with Season 4 Volume 1 on May 27. The second volume will follow on July 1, 2022, and a fifth and final season will be released next year. Brown also played Madison Russell in Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Godzilla vs. Kong and the title character in Netflix’s Enola Holmes movies. Stranger Things earned Brown two Emmy nominations and a Screen Actors Guild award.