Speaking her truth. Florence Pugh has never been afraid to call out unattainable Hollywood beauty standards.
Over the years, the Don’t Worry Darling star has repeatedly called out critics and trolls who have judges her appearance, mocked her looks and made negative comments about her body. By speaking out against body-shamers, Pugh has followed the likes of Bryce Dallas Howard, Lena Dunham, Serena Williams and more female A-listers to change the industry’s perspective on body positivity for the better.
In 2019, Pugh famously hit back at a review that compared the size of her thighs to that of the WWE pro she portrayed in the movie, Saraya Jade Bevis (a.k.a. Paige).
“Oh dear,” she tweeted in response to the Evening Standard’s story in March 2019. “Singling out my ‘chunky’ thighs doesn’t help normalizing an ‘all shape & size’ Hollywood. In fact that’s part of the problem. I do hope people take more away from the film than the circumference of my hams.”
The Black Widow actress has also sparked body image conversation with several of her stunning red carpet looks. In particular, the pink, see-through dress she donned at the Valentino Haute Couture Fashion Show in July 2022 made headlines as it showed off her nipples.
“Listen, I knew when I wore that incredible Valentino dress that there was no way there wouldn’t be a commentary on it,” Pugh wrote via Instagram alongside a slideshow featuring pics of herself from the event. “Whether it be negative or positive, we all knew what we were doing. I was excited to wear it, not a wink of me was nervous. I wasn’t before, during or even now after.”
Poking fun at haters, she continued, “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..?”
Noting that the outfit “won’t be the last time a woman will hear what’s wrong with her body by a crowd of strangers,” the Oscar nominee went on to note, “What’s worrying is just how vulgar some of you men can be.”
Among the many celebs who praised Pugh for her post was Bridgerton alum Regé-Jean Page, who encouraged men to learn a thing or two from the Little Women star on his Instagram story on Sunday, July 10, 2022.
“Take a look at yourself fellas,” the Roots alum wrote. “When the boys are out of line, have a word.”
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Scroll below to read Pugh’s most empowering body positivity quotes over the years.
