Photo: Mike Marsland/Mike Marsland/WireImage

Lately, Millie Bobby Brown has switched up her style, prompting plenty of commentary. On Monday, the British actress responded to the widespread scrutiny of her appearance in an Instagram video, pushing back against journalists “spending their time dissecting my face, my body, my choices.”

“I grew up in front of the world, and for some reason, people can’t seem to grow with me,” said Brown, who’s been in the public eye since her acting debut on Netflix’s Stranger Things when she was 10. “Instead, they act like I’m supposed to stay frozen in time.” She condemned the press for “bullying,” citing several Daily Mail articles including “Why Are Gen Zers Like Millie Bobby Brown Aging So Badly?”

Brown, who’s now 21 and recently married Jon Bon Jovi’s son Jake Bongiovi, also took issue with an article that amplified British comedian Matt Lucas’s “savage swipe” at her “new ‘mommy makeover’ look,” in the Daily Mail’s words. Lucas had responded to a photo of Brown with the catchphrase of his obnoxious teenage sketch character Vicky Pollard. (In response to Brown’s statement, Lucas issued an apology on Instagram, writing, “I think you’re brilliant.”)

“We always talk about supporting and uplifting young women, but when the time comes, it seems easier to tear them down for clicks,” Brown continued. “I refuse to make myself smaller to fit the unrealistic expectations of people who can’t handle seeing a girl become a woman.”