Florence Pugh dress: why was actress criticised over sheer Valentino gown - how did she respond on Instagram?

Florence Pugh has taken to social media to call out body shaming trolls after she received an influx of negative comments after posting an image of herself wearing a revealing dress.

The English actress, best known for her roles in films and TV shows like Midsommar, Black Widow and The Little Drummer Girl, took aim at her critics in a lengthy Instagram post on Sunday (10 July) night.

This is what you need to know.

What was the dress she wore?

Pugh wore a sheer pink Valentino dress in which her bare chest was visible to the fashion house’s latest catwalk show in Rome.

She shared a picture of herself in the dress on Instagram with the caption: “Technically they’re covered?

“Feeling magical in @maisonvalentino

“@pppiccioli you absolute genius. Stunning. Stunning. Stunning evening.

“Thank you again, my beautiful team, for making my pink princess dreams come true.”

What did she say on Instagram?

Pugh took to Instagram to respond to the negative comments she faced after wearing the sheer Valentino dress.

Alongside a few photos of herself in the dress, she wrote a lengthy caption which said: “Listen, 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.

“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.

“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.

“So many of you wanted to aggressively let me know how disappointed you were by my ‘tiny tits’, or how I should be embarrassed by being so ‘flat chested’.

“I’ve lived in my body for a long time. I’m fully aware of my breast size and am not scared of it.

“What’s more concerning is…. Why are you so scared of breasts? Small? Large? Left? Right? Only one? Maybe none?

“What. Is. So. Terrifying.

“It makes me wonder what happened to you to be so content on being so loudly upset by the size of my boobs and body..?

“I’m very grateful that I grew up in a household with very strong, powerful, curvy women. We were raised to find power in the creases of our body. To be loud about being comfortable. It has always been my mission in this industry to say ‘f**k it and f**k that’ whenever anyone expects my body to morph into an opinion of what’s hot or sexually attractive.

“I wore that dress because I know.

“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. Respect humans. Life will get a whole lot easier, I promise.

“And all because of two cute little nipples….

“Oh! The last slide is for those who feel more comfortable with that inch of darker skin to be covered…

“#f**kingfreethef**kingnipple”

Bridgerton actor Rege-Jean Page joined the conversation and supported Pugh’s message.

Taking to his Instagram story, Page, 34, reposted the image of Pugh wearing the dress and echoing her post, wrote: “What. Is. So. Terrifying?” followed by a clapping hand emoji.

Beneath the image, he added: “(Read the caption. Take a look at yourself fellas. Then take a look at your mates and step up when it’s time to step up.

“When the boys are out of line, have a word.

“The weird thing about misogyny is men actually listen to other men, so do your bit, cos the next few years in particular are gonna be a really good time to listen, and take some responsibility, for everyone’s sake. Safe.”

Thousands of supportive comments were left on Pugh’s post, including one from Derry Girls actress Nicola Coughlan who wrote: “Adore you” followed by a pink heart emoji.