Stranger Things actor Natalia Dyer isn't happy with the way media outlets have sexualized her underaged castmates since the show made them household names in 2016.
Dyer, who plays Mike's (Finn Wolfhard) older sister Nancy Wheeler, revealed her discomfort with this phenomenon during an Independent profile on her upcoming film Yes, God, Yes. "There are so many layers going on here," she explained. "I generally feel like, to me, it's oversexualising them. I feel protective over the younger kids even though they’re not kids anymore, they’re teens. They’re all great people and all having to grow up in very crazy circumstances."
Beyond the obvious issues with sexualizing children, Dyer elaborated, "As a private person, I just feel like, leave people alone – unless you’re talking about their work or what they want to talk about. It's a very tricky and complex issue. It's a cultural issue, there must be a bigger concept behind it as to why. Just let people be the people that they are, without any judgement."
Wolfhard has spoken out about receiving "suggestive messages" from older fans of the show, while Eleven actor Millie Bobbie Brown has dealt with similar "inappropriate comments and sexualisation" about her appearance. Brown was even listed in a W magazine article explaining why TV is "sexier than ever," despite only being 13 at the time.
Created by the Duffer Brothers, Stranger Things stars Winona Ryder, Millie Bobbie Brown, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Priah Ferguson, Cary Elwes, Jake Busey and Maya Thurman-Hawke. The first three seasons are currently available on Netflix, and Season 4 has yet to receive a release date.