Former star defends ‘Stranger Things’ actress in a poignant essay

Los Angeles Times

“Stranger Things 2” star Millie Bobby Brown has found an unexpected ally in former child star Mara Wilson.

In a new essay for Elle magazine, Wilson (“Matilda,” “Mrs. Doubtfire”) used her own experiences to defend the 13-year-old Netflix star from the critical eye of social media and the wandering eyes of predators. She also argued against “the culture of dehumanization” Hollywood has enabled. Recalling her own experiences as a young actress, Wilson, now 30, wrote about her discomfort with commentary on images of Brown, 13, dressed up at a premiere. The reactions, she said, were split, with Twitter users and news outlets saying that the young star looked old or blamed the actress’ parents for letting her dress the way she did.

“It would be unacceptable for an adult to comment on the body of a 13-year-old girl they knew. So why do these adults make pronouncements about the body of a 13-year-old girl they have never met?” Wilson wrote.

“If a stranger on the internet tells me that I’m ugly, or that they want to have sex with me (which happens multiple times a week), I can handle it. I am not a child anymore. Millie Bobby Brown is. Commenting on a child’s body, whether in a ‘positive’ or ‘negative’ way, in a sexualizing or pitying way, is still commenting on a child’s body.”