Florence Pugh tells critics to 'grow up' over her nipple-exposing dress
Don't Worry Darling star Florence Pugh is taking a stand against body-shaming, and finding solidarity amongst her fellow stars. On Friday, the Black Widow actress wore a pink Valentino gown to a fashion show in Rome, sheer just enough that her nipples were visible through the material.
A bunch of angry trolls showed up in Pugh’s mentions, with what she calls “vulgar” comments about the shape of her body. Others were outraged – outraged! – at the sight of female-identified nipples, which are banned on Instagram, whereas the social media platform has no rules against male nipples.
On Sunday, Pugh posted to her official Instagram, giving any troll a piece of her mind.
“Listen,” she began in her post that included more pictures of her in the Valentino dress with her nipples decidedly not blurred for the IG censors. “I knew when I wore that incredible Valentino dress that there was no way there wouldn’t be a commentary on it. 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,” 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..?”
She then spoke bravely about how blatant misogyny motivates the trolls. “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 went on to say that there’s no way any comment could make her ashamed of her “tiny t*ts.”
“Why are you so scared of breasts?” she asked, facetiously. “What. Is. So. Terrifying.”
After speaking about how she grew up in a body-positive house that taught her not to buy into the idea that there’s only one way to be sexy, she clapped back, “If being loudly abusive towards women publicly in 2022 is so easy for you, then the answer is that it is you who doesn’t know. Grow up. Respect people. Respect bodies. Respect all women [...] And all because of two cute little nipples….”
She ended off her rallying cry with the hashtag, “#f*ckingfreethef*ckingnipple”
Many fellow stars and celebs flooded the comments on the post to praise Pugh, including Valentino creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli who wrote, "Respect," with a red heart emoji. Nicola Coughlan, Aubrey Plaza, Oscar-winner Ariana DeBose and Joey King all gushed about her bravery and honesty in the comments. “You're a magical f***ing queen and we do not deserve you," Jameela Jamil posted, and Schitt’s Creek mastermind Dan Levy commented with the "100" emoji.
Perhaps the biggest show of support came from Bridgerton hunk and the man who launched a thousand spoons, Regé-Jean Page, who took to his Instagram Stories on Sunday to share Pugh’s post, and included his own caption, calling on all men to do better.
“Take a look at yourself fellas. Then take a look at your mates and step up when it’s time to step up,” he wrote in a text overlay to Pugh’s photographs. “When the boys are out of line, have a word.”
“The weird thing about misogyny is men actually listen to other men” he continued, “so do your bit, cos [sic] the next few years in particular are gonna be a really good time to listen, and take some responsibility, for everyone’s sake.”
This isn’t the first time Pugh has used her Instagram to decry those who seek to shame or belittle her. Last year, she clapped back at those who tried to insinuate the age gap between her and partner Zach Braff was too large and therefore predatory.
