Florence Pugh says anger at her nipple-baring dress shows people are ‘terrified of the human body’

'I’m not trying to hide the cellulite on my thigh or the squidge in between my arm and my boob: I would much rather lay it all out'

Last year, the 27-year-old walked the red carpet at Valentino’s haute couture show in Rome in a sheer pink gown, which she said had been designed especially by the brand’s creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli.

But she was body-shamed for the fashion choice, with the actor receiving an onslaught of derogatory messages from people commenting on her breasts and nipples.

Responding to the backlash at the time, Pugh wrote on Instagram: “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."

In a recent interview with Elle, the Oppenheimer and Midsommar star spoke about how her body has been the subject the scrutiny.

Pugh, who has been named the winner of the magazine's "style icon" award, said: “I speak the way I do about my body because I’m not trying to hide the cellulite on my thigh or the squidge in between my arm and my boob: I would much rather lay it all out."

“I think the scariest thing for me are the instances where people have been upset that I’ve shown ‘too much’ of myself. When everything went down the with Valentino pink dress a year ago, my nipples were on display through a piece of fabric, and it really wound people up.”

She continued: “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.”

But Pugh said she believes a "swing" is taking place among the public, with more people having a "I don't give a s**t" attidude.

“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].”

Speaking about the different attitudes from women and men to her fashion choices, the actor said women are always far complimentary than men when she wears sheer dresses.

“When I wore the [sheer] dresses, every woman I walked past would say, ‘You look like you’re having so much fun’. And I was!” she said.

“Women were drawn to the fact that I was completely happy. That’s been a massive aspect of my career and my life: accepting who I am, and not running away from it.”

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