Millie Bobby Brown can’t be Eleven forever — no matter how angry that makes some people.
Brown was just a child when she was cast in “Stranger Things” in 2015, but is now a 20-year-old married woman, she reportedly reminded people on Wednesday after being shamed on social media for merely growing up.
The actor shared an innocuous mirror selfie on Instagram Monday in which she showed off her flashy ring and a mini Louis Vuitton purse. But it prompted vitriolic comments that included “How to look 65 when you are 16,” “MILLIE WHAT HAPPENEDDDD,” and simply, “42.”
Brown reportedly addressed the backlash in a since-expired Instagram Story on New Year’s Day and wrote, “Women grow!! Not sorry about it :).”
The actor, who tied the knot last year with Jake Bongiovi, singer Jon Bon Jovi’s son, turns 21 next month.
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Some commenters on Brown’s post accused her of getting plastic surgery, presumably because she was pursing her lips and sucking in her cheeks in the selfie she shared.
The British actor’s fans defended her, however.
“She’s not a kid anymore. You’re still expecting her to look like baby Eleven. She’s not,” wrote one user in the comments Wednesday. Another commented: “The amount of people who can’t tell shes just pursing her lips and sucking her cheeks is killing me.”
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Brown was aptly 11 when Matt and Ross Duffer cast her in “Stranger Things,” but due to multiple years-long breaks between seasons, the cast of former child actors has grown up before the series is set to end for good.
However, none of Brown’s male costars has received the same criticism about aging despite growing up alongside her.
Brown will reprise her “Stranger Things” character one last time when the fifth and final season of Netflix’s flagship series is released, which is expected later this year.