Watson was cast at the age of nine to portray the iconic bookworm Hermione Granger in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Like her co-stars, Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint, she grew up in the intense glare of the global spotlight.

However, as the post points out, mainstream media outlets and mainstream film reviewers frequently published uncomfortable assessments about her maturing appearance long before she reached the legal age of majority.

The Reddit thread compiled several vintage excerpts from prominent publications printed throughout the 2000s. Readers were shocked to see how respected journalists casually speculated about Watson’s transition into womanhood.

One article described the young Emma as ‘The prepubescent Watson is absurdly alluring to those of us who always want bossy girls.’ She was nine years old at the time. Growing up, some older writers described her journey as ‘well made-up from baby to babe’.