Remember when people on the internet started calling Barbie star Margot Robbie mid ahead of the film’s release? The actor became the manosphere’s subject of ire, after delivering a movie that challenged the entire idea of the male gaze being the ultimate judge of female beauty. So, as predictable as ever, critics started chipping away at the one thing they believe gives women purpose and societal stake: their beauty. And now, the star of a new trending show is facing similar backlash.

Unfortunately, the practice of degrading a woman’s appearance if they dare to take on roles of characters that are defiant, or dare I say it, unlikeable, continues.

People online have begun pestering female actors about their looks if they’ve decided their character is unlikable.

madeline brewer deserves sooo much better. like what the hell is wrong with all of those people. do you realize she’s a real person and not a robot or a fictional character? Her character was annoying at times, but she’s NOTHING like her character. Real life ≠ You series. pic.twitter.com/kAAgJCfzXH

— 𝓂𝑎𝑟𝑡𝒾𝑛𝑎⋆🪡 YOU SEASON5 SPOILERS (@thefakeattitude) April 28, 2025

this needs to be stopped. the hate Madeline Brewer is getting for a *character* she played is insane! she’s a real human! be respectful! she has feelings! she’s gorgeous & talented y’all are losers for saying things like that! its ok to dislike bronte but leave madeline out of it pic.twitter.com/6rkNPyAQwK

— Ally | YOU SEASON 5 NEWS🦋🧢 (@YouNetflixUpdte) April 27, 2025

whenever there’s a character people don’t like, they show how truly ignorant they are.. blaming & shaming madeline as if 1.) she is the fictional character or 2.) wrote the character & cast herself.. ridiculous people. thank god that show is over, a lot of the fandom sucks so bad pic.twitter.com/0QU5DzQpFP

— kyler ☏ (@slshers) April 27, 2025

Madeline Brewer, the star of Netflix’s You’s fifth and final season, is facing an avalanche of hate comments on Instagram and Twitter from netizens, who believe her character Brontë ruined the show. And of course, most of the derogatory comments centre around her looks.

“You got chin for days,” one comment on the actor’s Instagram read. “How old were you when you started your transition?” an incredibly transphobic remark stated.

“You ruined the show,” someone else wrote. “Hate,” another detractor simply put.

 

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Of course, the majority of people simply let their dislike of a character extend to the actor, similar to the backlash performers like Fabien Frankel and Sydney Sweeney faced, after bringing complex characters to life that dared to break out of the socially imposed cage of nicety.

seeing ‘you’ fans be misogynistic and hateful towards madeline brewer is so disgusting to see. y’all can’t separate a actor from their character?? she’s not the character that she played in the show. she’s just doing her job

— azzie (@osferthsnoopy) April 29, 2025

i’m really upset at the hate people are giving madeline brewer over her looks in You season 5. the posts i’m seeing are so cruel and mean towards her. these are real people why is there so much hate towards yall not finding a woman attractive…. and she’s gorgeous

— gabby⁷ ✨jecki misser (@jimintano) April 30, 2025

people going to madeline brewer’s instagram to leave vile comments about her character, like if y’all cannot separate the actor from the character, you’re not mature enough to be watching tv 🙄

— heather ☆ (@fairykazuha) April 29, 2025

enough with the madeline brewer slander she is so beautiful i hate tiktok 12 yr olds

— mary🧸 (@knvcklevelvett) March 12, 2025

However, there is an undeniable misogynistic layer involved in the backlash Brewer is facing. The vitriolic response highlights how deeply many still believe a woman’s worth is tied to being pleasing—visually, emotionally, and narratively. And when a female actor portrays a character who defies that mold, the backlash becomes less about the role and more about punishing the woman behind it for stepping outside the lines.

It’s discouraging to see that this ‘mid’ trend still continues, despite the extensive discussions we’ve seen about the beauty standards it rests upon, as well as the misogyny and subjugation of women it encourages.

Not being one to keep quiet, the actor has started to respond to many of the hateful comments on her Instagram. To one comment that claimed she ruined the show, Brewer responded: “No, I didn’t.” To another one making fun of her chin, she countered: “I do have great bone structure, thank you.”

It’s a sobering reminder that until female actors are afforded the basic respect most of their male counterparts receive, they’re often left to laugh off the abuse just to stay afloat. Fittingly, a line from Joe Goldberg in this season of You almost prophesied this backlash: “It’s like clockwork, the reliable misogyny of the internet.”