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lily⁷ | mileven & kataang@lilypurplesyou · Nov 22, 2025

this moment is why i don’t like the discourse around “eleven/el/jane”. she voluntarily introduced herself as “el”. she…

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Summary

The thread argues that Eleven from Stranger Things chose "El" as her name when given the freedom to do so, and has never expressed animosity toward any of her names (Jane, Eleven, or El). Claiming Jane is the only respectful name dismisses her actual agency and preferences.

Summarized by ThreadOut AI from the full thread. May miss nuance — read the thread below.

  1. #1

    this moment is why i don’t like the discourse around “eleven/el/jane”. she voluntarily introduced herself as “el”. she has never expressed any animosity towards this name. jane is the life that never was, eleven is the life she was forced to have, el is the life she chose. 🧵

  2. #2

    i understand why people choose to call her jane, but those who claim it’s the only respectful name are missing the point. she was denied the freedom to choose while in the lab, but she also didn’t know “jane” was her birth name until after she escaped.

  3. #3

    mike presents her with “el”, derived from the only name she had known at the time, but unique enough around which to form an identity. he asks if it’s okay to call her this, and she agrees. when given the choice of a name, her answer is “el”.

  4. #4

    she uses “jane” for official settings, and she tried it out in chicago during season two. she’s fine with it, but those close to her still call her “el”.

  5. #5

    at the same time, she also has not expressed animosity towards the name “eleven”. multiple characters, cast members, and crew members continue to call her “eleven”, including millie herself.

  6. #6

    overall, you can call her whatever you want, but to claim that “jane” is the only acceptable name is a prime example of speaking over someone instead of actually listening to what they want.

  7. #7

    well, this thread did numbers, and i really didn’t expect that. i wrote it in a frenzy of impulsivity. does this discussion ✨need✨ a whole thread? no. of course not. it truly does not matter in the long run. i’m fully aware of this. but i wrote one anyway.