Daily Mail writer Lydia Hawken has issued a response in a TikTok and apologised to Millie Bobby Brown after the Stranger Things star called her out as one of the journalists who has been “desperate to tear women down” in an Instagram Post.
ICYMI, Bobby Brown took to the social media platform to openly criticise written articles discussing her appearance, stating that the world expects the actress to “stay frozen in time”.
“I started in this industry when I was 10 years old,” Bobby Brown said.
“I grew up in front of the world, and for some reason, people can’t seem to grow with me. Instead, they act like I’m supposed to stay frozen in time, like I should still look the way I did on Stranger Things Season 1. And because I don’t, I’m now a target.”
Bobby Brown’s original post. (Source: Instagram/@milliebobbybrown)
Bobby Brown then adds a list of articles that openly discuss her appearance, one of which including Hawken’s “Why are Gen Zers like Millie Bobby Brown ageing so badly?” that she wrote for Femail; an online vertical dedicated to lifestyle published on the Daily Mail’s website.
Bobby Brown goes on to describe these articles as “bullying” and calls them “disturbing”, mentioning that a lot of them were written by women.
Hawken’s original article about Bobby Brown’s appearance. (Source: dailymail.co.uk)
“The fact that adult writers are spending their time dissecting my face, my body, my choices, it’s disturbing. The fact that some of these articles are written by women? Even worse.”
“I refuse to make myself smaller to fit the unrealistic expectations of people who can’t handle seeing a girl become a woman. I will not be shamed for how I look, how I dress, or how I present myself.”
Hawken, who worked as a freelance writer for Femail, issued a response to Bobby Brown on TikTok, apologised to the British-born star, and said that had a “flavour of what it’s like to be scrutinised” following Bobby Brown’s post.
“I work on a rota system, and sometimes I get to pitch stories that are my own, that I truly want to write, but more often than not, I get assigned stories that have been decided upon by an editorial team,” Hawken said in the video.
“The story about Millie Bobby Brown fell into the latter category. This is not an excuse, or me asking for sympathy, because I still wrote it.
“I was also totally unprepared to deal with the consequences of being named by Millie, as one of the journalists involved in this reporting.”
She said that Bobby Brown is “fully in the right” to criticise her and her fellow journalists for their actions.
“I want to say I’m sorry for writing the story, and for not being brave enough to say no.”
Hawken also states in the TikTok that she has since resigned from Femail and will no longer be writing for the Daily Mail.
“This morning, I officially resigned from the Mail and I won’t work with them again. I’m turning 30 in a few days, and it’s time for a change.”
The internet’s response to Hawken has been mixed, with some folks applauding her for apologising while others have described her actions as “excuses”.
One comment on her TikTok read: “As a woman you CHOSE to write it. You can be a reporter without reporting what’s forced down your throat. The only reason you’re sorry now is because you’re being called out. If you hadn’t been called out would you have resigned?”
Comments on Hawken’s TikTok. (Source: TikTok/@lydiarosehawken)
“No money could pay me to be a bully,” wrote another.
However, a Reddit post that featured her video saw more positive reactions to Hawken’s video.
“I’m glad she owned up to it and is stepping down from that toxic mess, Daily Mail,” wrote one user.
“This was a great apology. And she put her money where her mouth was by quitting on the spot. That takes conviction and strength that a lot of people in her position don’t have,” said a different user.
Reddit users had a different take compared to TikTok’s audience. (Source: Reddit)
Hawken’s video also comes after comedian and actor Matt Lucas publicly apologised to Bobby Brown in an Instagram post for a tweet he made that compared the actress to a character he played on Little Britain.
“Dear Millie, I just saw your post and wanted to respond, and provide some context,” Lucas wrote.
“I thought you looked terrific and I was mortified when the press wrote that I ‘slammed’ you, firstly because that’s not my style, and secondly because I think you’re brilliant. I would not have posted it if I had thought it would have upset you but I realise it has and for that I apologise.”
One thing that Hawken, Lucas and (hopefully) the rest of the world can take away from this fiasco is that hey, maybe we shouldn’t be such assholes to people on a global scale when said people can read what you say?
Bobby Brown has not yet responded to Lucas or Hawken.
The post Daily Mail Reporter Responds To Millie Bobby Brown Call Out: ‘She Is Fully In The Right’ appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
