Millie Bobby Brown did not hold back in her statement against the tabloids. In a post made to the actress’s Instagram on March 3, Brown directly called out journalists who have recently published articles criticizing her appearance.
The four articles referenced by Brown’s video were published by the Daily Mail, a news outlet known for its sensationalistic headlines. Each piece paints a negative image of Brown, focusing on the 21-year-old’s “aged” looks and speculating potential cosmetic surgery operations.
Brown’s video generated massive attention, with over five million likes and 200,000 shares, over double the engagement her other recent posts have received. Her comment section is filled with solidarity from fans and other celebrities.
Brown explained in her post that her journey in the entertainment industry, beginning as a young child and continuing to the present, has made her a target of negativity.
“I grew up in front of the world, and for some reason, they can’t seem to grow up with me,” Brown said in the Instagram post. “Instead, they act like I am supposed to stay frozen in time, like I should still look the way I did on “Stranger Things” Season 1.”
Brown’s high-engagement post caused some of the names involved in the work she condemned to respond publicly. Lydia Hawken, the author of one of the headlines Brown mentioned, shared a video on her TikTok apologizing for the piece and announcing her resignation from her Senior Femail Reporter position with the Daily Mail.
“I know and appreciate people may not have much sympathy for me here, but I think it is important to be transparent about what has happened this week,” Hawken said. “I want to again extend an apology to Millie because, within the last 48 hours, I have had a flavor of what it is like to be scrutinized. And it’s been really difficult.”
Another article by Daily Mail Showbiz Reporter Bethan Edwards compares Brown’s “mommy makeover” appearance to a character named Vicky Pollard from an old television show called Little Britain. Edwards’s article discusses a post to X made by Matt Lucas, the co-writer of the show, in which he compares a picture of Brown to the character. Edwards’s article highlighted the subsequent social media memes and jokes from the post.
Brown acknowledged the disrespect of both the article and Lucas’s post, saying the article was “amplifying an insult rather than questioning why a grown man is mocking a young woman’s appearance.”
In response to Brown’s video, Lucas posted an apology to Brown on Instagram, explaining that the similarity in Brown’s outfit to the character prompted him to associate the two.
“I thought you looked terrific, and I was mortified when the press wrote that I ‘slammed’ you, firstly because that’s not my style, and secondly because I think you’re brilliant,” Lucas said.
Besides this experience, Brown’s professional career has been busy recently. Brown recently starred with Chris Pratt in a new movie titled The Electric State, which premiered March 14 on Netflix.
Additionally, Brown runs her beauty and coffee brand, Florence By Mills. According to the Florence By Mills Coffee website, her coffee brand recently released four new canned lattes.
Brown bravely makes it clear that this “bullying” from journalists is not acceptable toward any woman and advocates for behavioral change in the media. In the inspiring statement, 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.”