Florence Pugh has opened up about the negative reaction she got to her see-through dress and how it impacted how she views her body.
In an interview with Vogue, the 28-year-old actress told the outlet that the reaction from audiences was a stark contrast to what she had been taught about loving herself growing up.
She opened up about her mom teaching her to live that way made her comfortable and to not mind the little things like when she might "smell after a workout," or notice "spots" when she's stressed.
She was even told to wear sheer dresses whenever she pleased if that made her happy.
And so she did.
In July 2022, during a Valentino event in Rome, the star headed to the red carpet in a sheer, pink dress with her breasts proudly on display.
At the time, she took to Instagram to share snapshots of the daring look, alongside a light-hearted caption saying: "Technically they're covered?" obviously referring to her nipples, which were visible through the tulle fabric.
However, what she did not expect was an onslaught of vile comments from a group of keyboard warriors who thought it was somehow acceptable to rip Pugh's appearance to shreds while some also went as far as threatening to rape her.
"I've never been scared of what's underneath the fabric," Pugh said. "If I'm happy in it, then I'm gonna wear it. Of course, I don't want to offend people, but I think my point is: How can my nipples offend you that much?"
She also told the outlet how concerning this type of reaction truly is.
"It's very important that we do this," she continued. "I know that some people might scoff at me saying that, but if a dress with my breasts peeking through is encouraging people to say, 'Well, if you were to get raped, you would deserve it,' it just shows me that there's so much more work to do."
She doubled down on her stance during an interview with Elle too in which she stated that people were just "terrified of the human body."
"It’s the freedom that people are scared of; the fact I’m comfortable and happy. Keeping women down by commenting on their bodies has worked for a very long time."
"Unfortunately, we’ve become so terrified of the human body that we can’t even look at my two little cute nipples behind fabric in a way that isn’t sexual," Pugh added. "We need to keep reminding everybody that there is more than one reason for women’s bodies [to exist]."
At the time of the incident, the Don't Worry Darling star took to Instagram to address the issue in a separate post, telling the trolls that their hate does not make her nervous, or insecure.
"I was excited to wear it, not a wink of me was nervous. I wasn't before, during or even now after," she wrote. "What's been interesting to watch and witness is just how easy it is for men to totally destroy a woman's body, publicly, proudly, for everyone to see. You even do it with your job titles and work emails in your bio..?
"It isn't the first time and certainly won't be the last time a woman will hear what's wrong with her body by a crowd of strangers, what's worrying is just how vulgar some of you men can be," she continued. "Thankfully, I've come to terms with the intricacies of my body that make me, me. I'm happy with all of the 'flaws' that I couldn't bear to look at when I was 14."
The actress also wondered why people would comment on her breast size, let alone tell her that they were "disappointed" by them as if she should care.
" I've lived in my body for a long time. I'm fully aware of my breast size and am not scared of it," she said, before adding: "What's more concerning is... Why are you so scared of breasts?"
Pugh explained that she was "grateful" to have grown up with "very strong, powerful, curvy women," and noted that it "has always been my mission in this industry to say 'f*** it and f*** that' whenever anyone expects my body to morph into an opinion of what's hot or sexually attractive."
"Grow up. Respect people. Respect bodies. Respect all women. Respect humans. Life will get a whole lot easier, I promise. And all because of two cute little nipples..." she concluded her bold post.
A year later, and Pugh once again donned a sheer gown when she attended the Valentino Haute Couture show as part of Paris Fashion Week at Chateau de Chantilly.
It's 2024 and this is what we're still doing? What a joke. We're glad Pugh stood her ground for herself and other women who have been shamed for their bodies.
