Millie Bobby Shuts Down Filtered Beauty Standards with Candid Instagram Selfies: 'No Filter'

Mar. 15, 2025

TheStranger Thingsactress updated her Instagram Story with two selfies that reminded her 60 million followers to reflect on the realities (or lack thereof) of social media.

The 18-year-old first shared a snapshot of herself posing with a pucker and using a filter that enhanced her eyelashes and upped the glow on her skin with its skin-blurring effect.

Right after, she posted a candid straight-faced selfie sans filter, revealing her naturally rosy cheeks and the texture on her skin.

While Brown simply wrote “filter.” and “no filter.” across the respective photos, the succinct captions had a deeper message on the societal beauty standards that’ve quite literally filtered the way people view themselves online.

When Brown broke out as Eleven on the Emmy-nominated Netflix series in 2016, a character who’s become synonymous with her shaved head as equally as her superpowers, she hoped toempower her audiencewith the hairstyle, even as a budding teen. “I hope I inspire people… it’s really cool to have short hair,” she shared with PEOPLE at the time.

Arturo Holmes/WireImage

Growing up in front of the camera early on, theEnola Holmesstar also knows about thepressures that come with her on-screen success.

“It’s really hard to be hated on when you don’t know who you are yet,” she shared in herAllureSeptember issuecover story. “Then you just start shutting down because you’re like, ‘Who am I meant to be? Who do they need me to be for them?'”

Admitting to “loneliness” and struggles with “self-identity”, Brown said it was her close circle who pushed her to confidence.

In opening up about her journey, Brown hopes to be that encouraging figure for a younger generation.

“Young girls deserve an education. Young people everywhere deserve equal rights. [You] deserve to love the people that you want to love,” she toldAllure. Be the people that you want to be and achieve the dreams that you want to achieve.’ That’s my message."

source: people.com