Mara Wilson Pens Heartfelt Letter Asking The Public To Stop Sexualizing Young Women Like Millie Bobby Brown


Former child star Mara Wilson recently wrote an emotional essay asking both the public and Hollywood to stop sexualizing young women so much. Many people will remember Wilson for her roles in ’90s films like Matilda and Mrs. Doubtfire, but since then, Mara has taken a little step back from the spotlight, until now.

The 30-year-old chose a public platform to pen a very open and honest essay about growing up in Hollywood and how she was sexualized at a very early age. In the beginning of her letter on Elle, Wilson explains that she began her acting career when she was only 5-years-old. She opened up about getting everything from letters from grown men, asking her to put her lip print on an envelope and send it back to them, to being featured on adult websites as early as middle school.

“I had been featured on foot fetish websites, photoshopped into child porn, and received all kinds of letters and messages online from grown men.”

Wilson goes on to say that grown men holding her pictures at movie premieres made her incredibly uncomfortable, confessing that she would wish that the men would sell her picture to someone else instead of keeping it for themselves. When she hit puberty, Wilson wrote that the public immediately felt that it was okay to discuss her body in all the wrong ways.

“Because I was a child actor, my body was public domain.”

But perhaps the most notable part of Mara’s whole essay is when she came to the defense of Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown. The former child star said that she is always protective of other child actors and actresses, but said she thought that Millie stood out from everyone else because she was real and genuine. That is, until she turned 13-years-old.

“Last week, I saw a photo of her on Twitter, dressed up for a premiere. I thought she looked like a teenage girl. The caption, however, read that, at 13, she ‘just grew up in front of our eyes.’ It had been tweeted by a grown man,” Wilson explained.

The 30-year-old then lashed out over the fact that people really believe that being 13-years-old qualifies you as an adult. This further argued Wilson’s notion that young girls are objectified and sexualized at an incredibly young age. After the photo of Millie was posted, Mara also pointed out the comments left by Twitter followers that both questioned Brown’s parents and her outfit choice.

Congratulations to @edward_enninful on a stunning first issue for @britishvogue. I am so honored to be included in this issue, and to have had the opportunity to work with the legendary @patrickdemarchelier – Thank you for including me! ? #NewVogue

A post shared by Millie Bobby Brown (@milliebobbybrown) on

“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 asked.

After her short rant, Wilson then turned her attention to the recent sexual abuse that has been plaguing Hollywood, saying that actors are “dehumanized, objectified, and seen as bankable resources” rather than being seen as people. But she closed the piece exactly as she had opened it — by talking about young women.

“It’s never a bad idea to assume whoever you discuss on the internet can and will see what you say about them, and this is doubly true of children,” Wilson reminded the general public.

[Featured Image by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images]

Share this article: Mara Wilson Pens Heartfelt Letter Asking The Public To Stop Sexualizing Young Women Like Millie Bobby Brown
More from Inquisitr