There has been a lot of squabbling in social media recently about sexual assault and now it seems as if we have hit a new low now with the sexualization of the child actors on the hit Netflix Original series Stranger Things. This controversy came to a boiling point when Millie Bobby Brown who plays eleven on the show was named Sexiest Actress by W Magazine. This may seem like quite the accomplishment until we realize that this young actress is only 13 and far, far too young for anything about her to be sexy. She is still a child!
This is not the first time a Stranger Things star has been sexualized by grown adults. Near the end of October Finn Wolfhard, who plays Mike was told by Ali Michael, a model who is 27, through an Instagram post that he should “hit her up in a few years”. With Finn being only 14 and Millie being 13 it can not be denied that these and other comments found all over the internet are normalizing pedophilia. Yes, they may be in the public eye but that does not mean that they aren’t still children and that they don’t need to be protected from creepy adults trying to sexualize them.
These are just two examples of a far greater problem happening in Hollywood. In light of this and what seem to be a never-ending stream of sexual assault and harassment claims flowing from Hollywood, I feel it is our duty to make a change and let not only Hollywood but the whole world that the way we have treated other when it comes to inappropriate sexual conduct; no matter the nature is truly unacceptable and will not be tolerated. It is our duty to put an end to this now in order to protect future generations from these hideous atrocities. We need to start treating celebrities like human beings. It is not just directors, producers, and other actors turning celebrities into sexual objects, it is the audiences too. These things happen and it is time to stop ignoring them and actually do something about these disgusting practices, those of which that become especially heinous when they involve children. We have let this go on for far too long and now it is all of our jobs to help end this now.