Millie Bobby Brown says she's been dealing with sexualization 'forever' as a child star but really noticed a difference when she turned 18: 'It's gross'
- Millie Bobby Brown has spoken out about experiencing sexualization as a child actor.
- The "Stranger Things" star turned 18 in February and said she's already experienced "gross" reactions.
Millie Bobby Brown has discussed being sexualized as a child actor and her experience since turning 18 in February.
"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," she told Deborah Francis-White on an April 4 episode of "The Guilty Feminist" podcast.
"Being liked and trying to fit in, it's all a lot, and you're trying to [know] yourself while doing that. The only difference is obviously I'm doing that in the public eye," she added.
"It can be really overwhelming," the "Stranger Things" star continued. "I have definitely been dealing with that more in the last couple weeks of turning 18." Brown added that she's "definitely seeing a difference between the way people act and the way the press and social media react" to her "coming of age" and called it "gross."
Brown said she believed her experience in Hollywood was "a 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," she added.
Brown also spoke about moments early in her career when she was criticized for how she dressed. "Once I was going on the red carpet and I thought, 'Oh my god. I'm going to do a little low, just a little lower,'" she said. "I was like 16 and was like, 'Mom, dad, please. Can I please wear this to this awards show?"
"I just got crucified," she said. "I thought, 'is this really what we should be talking about?' We should be talking about the incredible people that were there at the awards show, the talent that was there, the people we are representing."
Brown explained that she has decided to stop sharing personal information on social media, describing it as "the worst place of all time."
"I'm not posting anything personal anymore," she continued. "You're not gonna see that part of me. You get to see the things I choose to put out in the world."