Known for her stylish red carpet dresses, Florence Pugh isn’t afraid to change her look.
And the acclaimed actor, 27, has shared why she chooses to embrace her body and isn’t afraid to show her skin.
Speaking to her friend and fellow actress Jodie Turner-Smith in an interview for the October issue of ELLE magazine, the star confessed, “I’m not trying to hide the cellulite on my thigh.”
Florence, who recently starred alongside Cillian Murphy in the blockbuster Oppenheimer, shared how she accepts her body and feels comfortable and happy in her own skin.
She said, “I talk the way I talk about my body because I’m not trying to hide the cellulite on my thigh or the squid between my arm and my breasts: I’d much rather expose it all.”
Confident: Florence Pugh, 27, has opened up about showing her skin and embracing her body in an interview for the October issue of ELLE Magazine
Speaking to her friend and fellow actress Jodie Turner-Smith, the star confessed, “I’m not trying to hide the cellulite on my thigh” while speaking about the controversy over her Valentino dress in July 2022.
“The scariest thing for me is when people are angry because I showed ‘too much’ of myself.”
Last July, Florence came under criticism after she received a nipple-bare, bright pink dress to the Valentino Haute Couture show in Rome.
Despite impressing with her show-stopping look, the star faced backlash from “vulgar” men who used social media to highlight her “flaws” and “small tits.”
The Black Widow star hit back at the trolls with an impassioned post on Instagram at the time.
She wrote: “What’s interesting to watch and see is how easy it is for men to completely destroy a woman’s body, publicly, proudly and for all to see.
“So many of you aggressively wanted to let me know how disappointed you were by my ‘little tits’, or how I should be ashamed of being so ‘flat chested.’
“I have lived in my body for a long time. I am fully aware of my breast size and am not afraid of it.’
Continuing the controversy over the Valentino dress in her interview with ELLE, she explained why she thinks people reacted with such disgust.
Wow: Florence looked amazing for the shoot as she shared how she accepts her body and feels comfortable and happy in her own skin
Going out: Florence took issue with her decision to rock a nipple-bare, hot pink dress to the Valentino Haute Couture show in Rome last July
Proclaiming, “So many of you wanted to let me know in an aggressive way how disappointed you were by my ‘little toes’, or how I should be ashamed of being so ‘flat chested’
Not staying silent: The Black Widow star defended her dress and attacked those who chose to ‘publicly destroy a woman’s body’
“A year ago when everything went wrong with the pink Valentino dress, my nipples were exposed through a piece of fabric, and that really turned people on.
‘It is freedom that people fear; the fact that I feel comfortable and happy. Oppressing women by commenting on their bodies has worked for a long time.
“I think we’re in a situation right now where a lot of people are saying, ‘I don’t care.
‘ Unfortunately, we’ve become so afraid 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.
“We need to keep reminding everyone that there’s more than one reason why women’s bodies exist.”
Florence will receive the British Icon Award at the ELLE Style Awards 2023 and she talked about her style evolution and why she’s not afraid to change her look.
The star debuted her freshly shaved head in May, having previously styled long blonde locks.
Of her style, she said, “I think I’ve always been interested in wearing bold clothes. As a teenager I bought the most crazy things and sewed them together. I’ve always loved color. I’ve always wanted to be bold and make a bit of a scene – I don’t think that’s gone.
Bold: Florence made a dramatic red carpet entrance at the 2023 Met Gala in New York City in May when she debuted her freshly shaved head
Surprise! Florence arrived at the Met Gala with a shaved head – which she covered with a dramatic feathered hat
“When I first started doing red carpets, it was really tough. It takes ages to get comfortable with fifty men all shouting, “Picture, here!” I’ve become more confident in recent years, and I think that’s largely related to the clothes I wear.
“The more you can enjoy it, the more (people) can see that you enjoy it.”
The star also explained how she uses clothes to express the different facets of her personality.
She joked, “My friends always laugh when I’m getting ready and I’m like, ‘I don’t know what to wear. I don’t have any clothes,’ because I have so many clothes. I think what I’m really saying is, “Who do I want to be today?” I have so many versions of myself that I want to show.’