The Internet Reels at Millie Bobby Brown’s Engagement
British actress Millie Bobby Brown and her boyfriend, Jake Bongiovi, shocked fans on Tuesday, April 12 with a social media post announcing their engagement. The 19-year-old “Stranger Things” star shared a photo of her and Bongiovi in a loving embrace, with the caption, “I’ve loved you three summers now, honey, I want ‘em all.” Fans were quick to clock the gorgeous ring adorning her engagement finger.
The announcement quickly made its circles around the social media sphere, and many took it upon themselves to weigh in on the lovebirds’ happy news. Concern over the age of the two young stars has been at the forefront of the conversation.
These concerns are not ill-founded, as there are extensive research archives that indicate young marriages have a higher divorce rate. Nevertheless, there is a demented sort of irony in the narratives surrounding Brown’s engagement.
The general opinion seems to be that Brown is “too young” or “too naive” to make such a lifelong commitment. Her comment section was full of distasteful comments such as “Isn’t she 10?” and “You are just a child for god’s sake.”
This somewhat-degrading sentiment only works to pigeonhole Brown in some idealized version of what a 19-year-old girl should be. Furthermore, such infantilizing narratives uphold the overt and wildly inappropriate sexualization that the star has faced since her rise to fame.
Brown’s fans came to her defense in the comment section of her announcement post, with many sharing marriage success stories in an effort to offset obnoxious and negative opinions. It is important to note that Brown and Bongiovi are not like every other normal young couple. Brown is a successful actress who does not need to worry about becoming financially dependent on Bongiovi. Furthermore, she has had to grow up in the public eye, a difficult task that often requires an individual to mature much faster than others in their age cohort.
In short, Brown has worked to achieve her current success, and she deserves to enjoy that success however and with whomever she so desires. Imposing our opinion on celebrities' decisions, especially young female celebrities, is problematic. By feeding into damaging stereotypes, those who openly oppose Brown’s engagement on the basis of age are working to uphold cultural and gendered norms that undermine the agency of young women.
Yes, the whole concept of getting married at 19 may seem a little crazy to some of us, especially those of us who are close to Brown in age. That is why it is important to refrain from comparing our life experiences with those of celebrities. Actually, it is best we refrain from comparing ourselves to anyone, whether they are a celebrity or not.
Young adulthood is weird, and a lot of us are still figuring out who we want to be and how we want to navigate the world. To that end, dealing out unsolicited judgment on others’ life decisions is wildly unproductive. Let us instead be patient with both ourselves and with those around us. Life is not a race; we are all here to learn and grow and enjoy ourselves as much as possible.
And so, to conclude, The Edge would like to send our utmost congratulations to the happy couple. And we would also like to send our congratulations to those of us who are still figuring things out. You guys are killing it; don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.