Adriana M. Barraza/WENN.com
Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown, 14, is currently binge-watching Netflix‘s new hit show You. She’s not alone. Since the first season got added to the streaming site many people have been binging the show about a serial killer stalker named Joe (Penn Badgley) who becomes obsessed with Guinevere (Elizabeth Lail).
Joe is clearly the bad guy in the show, but Bobby Brown and many fans love Joe despite the fact that he’s a crazy, stalking, serial killer. In a now-deleted Instagram Story Bobby Brown defends Joe and his problematic behavior.
“So I just started that new show You. He’s not creepy, he’s in love with her and it’s okay,” Bobby Brown said. “So I’m obsessed with it. I’m binge watching it. Absolute banger Netflix.”
The actress continued, “I know everyone is going to say ‘Aw he’s a stalker, why are you going to support that?’ No like, he’s in love with her. Just watch the show and don’t judge me on my opinion.”
millie bobby brown ✈️ wellness check pic.twitter.com/bg7BQWjc4z
— helen (@helen) January 15, 2019
Bobby Brown conflating stalker behavior to romance is problematic. There’s no way around it. But to give her the benefit of the doubt, Bobby Brown just started watching the series so maybe she hasn’t seen the extent of Joe’s extremely problematic behavior.
Spoiler alert, but Joe ends up killing multiple people at the end of the season because he is a crazy, stalking, serial killer. But problematic behavior like being obsessed with a girl, insistently asking her out and creeping on her social media is normalized in lots of other shows.
People attacked Bobby Brown for her controversial opinions about You.
…omg millie sweetie what is u doin? https://t.co/0d8xx2Nyyr
— lycia faith (@lyciafaith) January 15, 2019
I didn’t know who the fuck this was and then I realized it’s Millie Bobby Brown. Why the fuck does a CHILD think that kind of behavior (stalking, literal murder, obsessiveness, lying, manipulation) is “love” and is… okay?? I’m horrified. https://t.co/PGt28zn47o
— beck (@ChaoticThey) January 15, 2019
Then more people pointed out that the behavior Joe displays isn’t far off from other teen heartthrobs that other 14-year-old girls have been obsessed with. For example, Edward Cullen from Twilight would literally break into Bella’s house to watch her sleep and Ezra from Pretty Little Liars was a teacher who slept with Aria his student and also minor. The list goes on and on.
https://twitter.com/GLOSSPHOENIX/status/1085440768649637889
millie bobby brown saying that it doesn’t matter that joe from ‘you’ is a serial killer because he’s in love with beck is strong 14 year old energy
— Lenn (@lennholmes) January 15, 2019
don't know why everyone is attacking millie bobby brown when she's a kid like we weren't stanning characters like damon salvatore and edward cullen when we were 14
— electra (@notlipglosse) January 15, 2019
https://twitter.com/trikaelson/status/1085270194077999104
How about instead of getting mad at Millie the media, tv & movies start acknowledging how toxic so many relationships shown on screen are
She’s a kid, she knows what she sees from tv & from media. How about we change the media we stop romanticizing abuse & toxicness https://t.co/WT6xufSV4T
— Hannah she/they (@shipperofstuff) January 16, 2019
Stalker behavior is definitely romanticized in the media. Bobby Brown isn’t the only fan of You who is Team Joe.
Penn has hilariously reminded fans that Joe is not the good guy and in fact is a crazy killer.
A: He is a murderer https://t.co/g2g4f3JvaF
— Penn Badgley (@PennBadgley) January 9, 2019
https://www.instagram.com/p/BsotpY3nsMC/
Hopefully, Bobby Brown finished the series and changes her opinions.
