On Mar. 5th, 2025, the famous actor Millie Bobby Brown Bongiovi sat in front of her camera and quickly discussed her opinion in the press, speaking about her appearance. Known for her work in multiple movies and shows, including Stranger Things and Enola Holmes, Bongiovi soon expressed that she has been ridiculed for her ageism in the public eye since childhood.
Bongiovi stated, “I’ve been in this industry for almost a decade now, and for a long time, I thought I just had to accept what came with it—being judged, ridiculed, [or] picked apart.” As she’s grown in this industry, she’s realized that what is happening to her isn’t just criticism, “It’s bullying.”
Bongiovi described how, tragically, she had been scrutinized for her work and appearance, voice, and body from a young age. She stated that as she’s grown, she’s heard countless questions from the public, initially asking, “Why does she look like that?” and now asking, “What happened to her face?” She stated that it’s a cycle that never stops.
Bongiovi expressed her genuine hatred and sadness when seeing countless hate comments on her appearance. However, she plans on ignoring what others say, which may lead to criticism. The reason she is acknowledging this is because these aren’t just hateful comments on the internet, they are headlines and articles written by journalists.
Bongiovi also provides multiple examples of article titles and authors who focused their stories mainly on dissecting her appearance. She discussed how journalism goes beyond celebrity gossip and creates a “culture” where it’s acceptable to shame young people, especially young women, for growing up.
Bongiovi emphasized, “I’m not saying no one should ever be criticized, I’m saying that there’s a difference between reporting and tearing someone down,” she added, “When you frame someone’s natural changes as ‘shocking’ or ‘unrecognizable,’ you’re telling the world that it’s wrong to grow, to change, [and] to look different.”
She explained how she’s been called ugly multiple times in her career, stating that she’s been compared to people’s looks as an insult and has been mocked for her voice, makeup, and personal features.
Unfortunately, she claims that no matter what she does, people will always try to twist it into something bad regarding her features or possibly her dressing up. “What I want people to understand is that words matter, articles matter. When you write something cruel about someone’s appearance, it doesn’t just disappear.”
With Bongiovi’s discussion, she tries to ensure that articles focused on negative appearance aspects teach others that it’s not okay to say negative things to others and treat them poorly when it may overall cause multiple insecurities for that person.
Towards the end of Bongiovi’s video, she stated, “I know I’m not the only one who feels this way [and] this isn’t just about me; this is about [everyone] who’s been told their worth is tied to how they look.”
Bongiovi’s upbringing claim on the future of journalism stated that “we need to do better. We need to hold journalism to a higher standard because if we don’t, we just give the bullies more power.” Bongiovi’s message was to spread awareness of these negative claims to prevent people from ridiculing others online.
