With the uproar of the “Stranger Things” finale, lots of eyes have been on the cast. However, not all the traction drawn to its debut is due to the content of the show.
The cast of “Stranger Things,” along with many other young actors and actresses, have been victims of unnecessary sexualization and worse.
Predators tend to make sexual and disgusting comments toward minor actors, make inappropriate art work and more.
On the outside, celebrity crushes are normal, but when one takes it too far, it becomes concerning and damaging to the actor. Regardless of an actor’s gender, age, race, sexuality, looks or abilities, no one deserves to be sexualized.
Another huge concern when it comes to the sexualization of minor actors is the rise of AI. Forms of AI are being used to create inappropriate images of actors with little restrictions.
A deepfake, for example, is a form of AI that is meant to deeply scan an image or video and adjust it while still keeping it realistic. This type of AI is often used in malicious or inappropriate ways.
Out of the many names, one specific actress who has been severely affected is Nell Fisher, who plays the role of Holly in Stranger Things. As of late January it is estimated that Fisher has over 500 deepfakes of her. The young actress, who’s only 14, has had to deal with so much sexualization at the beginning of her career.
The amount of deepfakes is a problem that has to be dealt with and fixed. Because of this, people are pushing for more restrictions on AI guidelines so users aren’t able to do nudity of real people.
But the problem doesn’t stop there. Even without AI, minor actors have been sexualized in many ways that harm them personally and professionally.
Actress Emma Watson experienced sexualization during her career, long before AI. Growing up in the acting industry, she faced sexism from a very young age, and it continued throughout her career.
“I came out of my 18th birthday party, and photographers lay down on the pavement and took photographs up my skirt,” Watson said during the “HeForShe” campaign in 2014.
All of these actors and actresses are humans and they should be treated as they are. Women in the industry are overlooked for their skills because people focus on their beauty and whether or not they have any. Additionally, men in the industry are never taken seriously when they’re sexualized due to society’s view on men.
Although it is less heard of for guys, it is just as common. Sexualizing comments and AI images are spread about male minor actors, and it is not recognized, although it should be. Society sees men more as the sexualizers rather than the sexualized, and it goes unnoticed when they are the victims.
“At the age of 15, it must be a trip to already be fan edit famous like Walker Scobell is,” an article on Y!entertainment said.
Fan edits seem harmless. But being so young and seeing so many inappropriate comments about you is very harmful for your mental health. It also creates an unsafe world and environment to go into.
By adding further restrictions on AI and not interacting with sexualing content of minor actors, this environment can slowly become safer for young aspiring actors and actresses, without them having to fear the industry they are going into.
As a society, stopping the sexualization of minors in this field will be beneficial for their health and the world.
