Millie Bobby Brown’s Plea for Privacy Highlights a Real Problem
By: Shannon Ashley
Tags: Self, Social Media, Life, Culture, Entertainment

I’m one of those weirdos who never got into Stranger Things on Netflix, so, I’m also never quite sure who folks are talking about whenever they say Millie Bobby Brown. I hear her name a lot, sure, but let’s face it. I was born in the 80s and I’m a little out of touch with up-and-coming celebrities.

Yet, since I do hear her name so often, I clicked on a Facebook post about her out of curiosity. The post linked to this article, detailing how the actress recently said no to a fan who asked to film her while she was out shopping with her mom.

Millie told the fan no, that she didn’t want to be filmed. And that should have been the end of it. However, the fan didn’t take no for an answer and filmed the young star — did I mention she’s 16? — despite repeat protests.

She was understandably upset about the interaction and took to Instagram, saying she wished people would be more respectful. Millie also cried in the now-deleted video as she tried to make her point.

Per Millie: “I was paying and she walked past me and began to video me again. And I said, ‘I’m a human being. Like, what more can I ask from you?’

“She said, ‘So I can’t take a video of a human being?’ And I said, ‘No, not when I said no.’ It just makes me upset when people try to push the boundary, and I just wish people were more respectful.

“You have to show more respect for others, no matter who they are, what they do. It’s just manners.”

It takes an incredibly selfish person to film a stranger in public when that stranger tells them to stop. I thought that much was obvious. But apparently not. Once again, I made a mistake by reading the comments as they came in, and I was shocked to see that many people think the actress was being a bitch.

It was amazing, really. I watched in real-time as strangers on the internet suggested that she grow up, get thicker skin, or quit being famous if she didn’t like it.

One man wrote, “I mean, that notoriety pay the bills and has to be expected, even for a 16 year old. It’s surely rude and very uncomfortable, I imagine, but it’s not illegal to film someone in public nor is it to be rude or uncomfortable.

“That’s life.”

He closed his comment with a male ‘whatever’ face emoji.

One woman responded to say, “It’s a side effect of being famous and one of the most privileged people in the world. If you don’t want attention from the public, don’t set out to become a famous actor. There are people out there with real problems, especially right now.”

Over and over, people seemed to lean into the “first-world problems” response. As if Millie’s upset isn’t real or valid just because she’s on TV.

I could hardly believe how many people came into the comments section just to drag the kid.

“What a cry baby lmfao. Welcome to life young lady.”

“That’s part of the insanely paid job!”

“Soft times breed soft people.”

“Actors get paid bank because they no longer have privacy.”

“Price of fame, she best toughen up. It’s not going to get any easier.”

“Primadonna you can’t have it both ways.”

“If you don’t want to be bothered. Don’t be famous! Simple as that! You and your family choose this life and these are some of the not so pretty parts of being famous.”

“They lose their right to privacy in public just like we ALL do. Not even cops can force you to stop recording. Theres no expectation to privacy in a public place and you WANTED to be famous. Next.”

To me, the most disturbing part of the comments is that these are coming from Facebook users who appear to be adults. Many of them seem to have children of their own. Would they really feel the same about the situation if we were talking about their 16-year-old?