Why Stranger Things Fans Shouldn't Get Eleven's Tattoo (The Controversy Explained) (2024)

Considering how popular the character Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) has become in the Duffer brothers' sci-fi horror Netflix series, Stranger Things, many fans have expressed their adoration for her by getting Eleven's tattoo. Born as Jane Ives, Eleven was a test subject at the Hawkins National Laboratory who eventually escapes and befriends the Stranger Things characters known as "the Party": Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin), and Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), whom Eleven forms a relationship with.

The reason why the character was given the name, "Eleven", is because of the 011 number that is tattooed on her wrist. This tattoo refers to her being the eleventh child test subject in a series of experiments conducted by Dr. Martin Brenner (Matthew Modine). Under the oversight of Dr. Brenner, Eleven was able to hone her psychokinetic and telepathic powers. While fans of the show have gotten the number 011 tattooed on their wrists to express their love for both Eleven and the show, they unknowingly faced backlash because of this decision.

RELATED: Stranger Things Season 4 Ending Explained (In Detail)

Eleven's Tattoo Is Similar To How Jewish People Were Dehumanized In The Holocaust

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Eleven's tattoo is not a cool trademark or accessory. Eleven is given a number instead of a name because she is viewed as merely one of many test subjects that Dr. Brenner and his team experimented on, ultimately showing little to no regard for their well-being. Eleven's tattoo is a symbol of dehumanization, and the reason this is significant is that it was meant to be a direct link to the Holocaust. In Nazi concentration camps, Jewish prisoners were given tattooed numbers not just to keep track of and keep records of them, but also to dehumanize them and strip them of their identity.

This is not the first time fandoms have regretted tattoos. One notable example is Game of Thrones in which some fans of the show stated that they would not have gotten tattoos of Daenerys Targaryen if they had known how the series would end. However, the Eleven tattoo controversy is much more serious because it intentionally references the dehumanization that many Jewish people faced in the Holocaust. Regardless of the good intentions that fans may have had, getting these tattoos is incredibly insensitive.

Stranger Things Also Caused Controversy By Filming At A Former Nazi Prison

Unfortunately, the Stranger Things Nazi-related controversies do not end there because it was also discovered that the Russian prison scenes in season 4 were filmed at a former Nazi prison in Lithuania in 1941, which was then later converted into an Airbnb with a Stranger Things aesthetic (via Consequence TV). The show received backlash because not only was this former Nazi prison used to create entertainment, but then all the atrocities and human torture associated with the area were buried and glossed over by the Stranger Things decor in the Airbnb.

However, despite these controversies, fans can still celebrate Stranger Things through more wholesome, sensitive means. For example, if fans truly want to express their love for the show using tattoos, then they can simply get the ones that Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) has as they not only directly reference the Netflix series, but also evoke a sense of individuality and rejection against conformity that is what made Eddie so popular. They can also express their enthusiasm for the show by simply watching the upcoming fifth and final season of Stranger Things.