Millie Bobby Brown has accomplished more at 19 years old than most of us can hope to accomplish in a lifetime. She’s the star of a hit TV show (Stranger Things) and a hit movie franchise (Enola Holmes), has her own beauty line (Florence by Mills), is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, and is engaged to the love of her life. And while some might call her a girl, we call her a Glamour.
In her speech at this year’s awards, which took place in New York on November 7, Brown reflected on her acting journey as well as the women who inspire her, including Coco Gauff, fellow honoree Brooke Shields, and the soccer players of England’s Lioness Club. And yes, the guy she likes: Jacob Bongiovi, the son of rock star Jon Bon Jovi and his wife of 34 years, Dorothea Hurley.
Millie Bobby Brown Is Not Your Girl Next Door
Our Global Woman of the Year is building an empire. She doesn’t care whether you think she’s too young for world domination.
“When I met Jake,” she said in her recent , “I just felt I could be loud. He embraced that and encouraged that. And I fell in love with myself while being with him.”
Brown’s future mother-in-law, Dorothea, was the one to present the award to the actor, who accepted it oh-so-graciously after the two embraced onstage. Can you say “in-law goals”?! (Jake, for what it’s worth, supported both women from the crowd.)
“Thank you, Dorothea, for your kind words. It means so much to me that you are here tonight. Your passion to help others with your humanitarian work inspires me, and I hope to be half the woman you are,” Brown started her speech.
“Dorothea has raised her son, my fiancé, to feel comfortable around strong women. To see women as equals,” she continued. “To be an ally, which is exactly what we need. Mothers who have those open and transparent conversations with their sons can promote gender equality for my generation and the next.” Couldn’t have said it better ourselves.
Read Millie Bobby Brown’s inspiring Women of the Year speech in full below:
Thank you, Dorothea, for your kind words. It means so much to me that you are here tonight. Your passion to help others with your humanitarian work inspires me, and I hope to be half the woman you are.
Dorothea has raised her son, my fiancé, to feel comfortable around strong women. To see women as equals. To be an ally, which is exactly what we need. Mothers who have those open and transparent conversations with their sons can promote gender equality for my generation and the next.
On the topic of mothers—the woman of my year is here tonight—the person who nurtured and raised me while encouraging me to strive for my dreams and made me a stronger person: my mum. Thank you for lifting my chin up and wiping my tears. For holding my hand when I am scared. For loving me unconditionally. Your heart and soul is everything I want to be and more. You raised three women who are individuals and are fearless to break barriers and push limits.
Maybe some of you have heard some stories about me. Good or bad. Juicy or boring. Scandalous or bleak. Some of those stories were written about me when I was 11 years old. Unfortunately, I’ve seen it all.
I started acting when I was eight years old; my dad would drive me to auditions in California. Some of them were so far away that I would learn the lines on the way there and watch the movie, the sandlot on the drive. I would get there and walk in the room and do an American accent to trick them into hiring me. Now I’m thinking about it, was I an actor or con artist? I usually knew within a few seconds if I got the job, and if I didn’t, I left them my résumé and headshot, so they’d keep me in mind. Growing up in the industry, I felt very aware of the feeling of rejection.
As I was getting older, I started reading a variety of the things people were saying about me and felt that same feeling of rejection, like when I didn’t get an acting job. I felt alone in that feeling, like no one else knew what I was going through. The influence of social media and the press had a negative effect on my mental health, and anxiety is still a huge battle I am dealing with today. Luckily with the love and support from my friends, animals, and family, I feel strong enough to censor and protect my world. I do not feel alone anymore.
But with that, I am very aware of other child actors and young people simply living in today’s world with that same feeling of loneliness, rejection, and insecurity. Social media is detrimental to the minds of my generation and the ones that come after. Mental health is not a taboo topic; it’s a necessary one. Talk to one another. Be kind to one another. Understand and empathize with another. Remember, we are human beings, and we are just being.
For eight years I wanted to sparkle, flourish, and break out of the boxes everyone tried putting me in. I decided to be quiet when taking interviews and not say anything that could be twisted, because I was scared. But that fire and free spirit, in me, was bursting to come out.
And it didn’t take long for me to finally realize, I didn’t care. That who I was, was enough. That I could choose the kind of life I wanted to live and the world I wanted to live in.
Instead of talking about what I’m wearing, how much I weigh, who I’m friends with, or what restaurants I eat at.
Let’s talk about how the Lioness Football club played the women’s World Cup this year for England, or how Coco Gauff won the US Open.
Or how Brooke Shields released her documentary this year and spoke out about her struggles of growing up in the spotlight.
I want to thank Glamour for honoring me with this and holding this event so that women all over the world are acknowledged for their skills, abilities, and achievements.
I share this award with young girls all over the world watching. If I can ask you to do anything, remember these rules:
Don’t let anyone box you in.
Don’t let yourself be rejected.
Don’t people-please.
And as my Nanny Ruth told me frequently: Don’t let anyone dull your sparkle.
