Millie Bobby Brown Slams Over-Sexualisation As She Turns 16

Millie Bobby Brown is one of the most famous actresses in the world - and she’s only just turned 16. But of course, growing up as a woman in the spotlight faces it’s challenges - and one of them being over-sexualised. (You only need to look to Billie Eilish{ =nofollow}, who reportedly had an increase in searches on Pornhub as soon as she turned 18.)

Reflecting on birthday, today the Stranger Things star shared a video soundtracked to Justin Bieber’s new song Changes, with a montage of clips of her growing up and achieving fame. ‘The last few years haven’t been easy, I’ll admit that,’ Millie told her 32million followers.

The actress then elaborated on how being overly-sexualised has caused her 'pain and insecurity'. ‘There are moments I get frustrated from the inaccuracy, inappropriate comments, sexualisation, and unnecessary insults that ultimately have resulted in pain and insecurity for me,’ she said, before adding, ‘but not ever will I be defeated. I’ll continue doing what I love and spreading the message in order to make change.’

She started the caption by saying that ‘change needed to happen’ for children. ‘16 has felt like a long time coming,’ Millie wrote. ‘I feel like change needs to happen for not only this generation but the next - our world needs kindness and support in order for us children to grow and succeed.’

Last year, Millie spoke candidly about what it was like to grow up in the limelight in an interview with Grazia{ =nofollow}. ‘Being a young person, it can be hard to be taken seriously,’ she said. ‘It’s so important that we recognise that the workspace isn’t an equal playing field.’ The star also discussed how she approached dressing for events when she was younger, saying she 'strived' to be age appropriate. ‘When I was maybe 11 or 12, my style was striving to be appropriate to my age, but also feeling like me,’ she explains. ‘I was born into jeans and overalls and Converse – then all I wanted to do was wear heels.’

READ MORE: Millie Bobby Brown: 'It Can Be Hard To Be Taken Seriously'