Millie Bobby Brown has called out the press for "bullying" her over her physical appearance.
Taking to Instagram, the "Stranger Things" star singled out articles and writers for their coverage devoted to "dissecting" her face, body and choices.
"I started in this industry when I was 10 years old," Brown captioned a video in which she spoke out against the media. "I grew up in front of the world, and for some reason, people can't seem to grow with me. Instead, they act like I'm supposed to stay frozen in time, like I should still look the way I did on 'Stranger Things' Season 1. And because I don't, I'm now a target."
Brown sharply criticized "the people who are so desperate to tear young women down" and named several writers and articles that had targeted her.
She read aloud some of the recent headlines about her, including "Why are Gen Zers like Millie Bobby Brown aging so badly?" and "What has Millie Bobby Brown done to her face?" One article, in particular, "Little Britain's Matt Lucas takes savage swipe at Millie Bobby Brown's new 'mommy makeover' look," especially outraged her, as she felt it was "amplifying an insult rather than questioning why a grown man is mocking a young woman's appearance."
The actor has been thrust into the limelight as she promotes her new Netflix original movie, "The Electric State." She stepped onto the red carpet multiple times in recent weeks and was present at the movie's Hollywood premiere last month as well as the BRIT Awards, Variety reported.
Commenting on the press coverage, Brown said, "This isn't journalism. This is bullying."
"The fact that adult writers are spending their time dissecting my face, my body, my choices, it's disturbing," she wrote. "The fact that some of these articles are written by women? Even worse. We always talk about supporting and uplifting young women, but when the time comes, it seems easier to tear them down for clicks."
Brown stated that "disillusioned people" could not handle "seeing a girl become a woman on her [own] terms, not theirs."
"I refuse to apologize for growing up," she said. "I refuse to make myself smaller to fit the unrealistic expectations of people who can't handle seeing a girl become a woman. I will not be shamed for how I look, how I dress or how I present myself."
Brown also highlighted that it has become the norm to criticize instead of compliment people.
"Why is the knee-jerk reaction to say something horrible rather than to say something nice? If you have a problem with that, I have to wonder — what is it that actually makes you so uncomfortable?" 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."