Florence Pugh’s Response To Criticism Of Her Viral Valentino Dress Is Priceless

Florence Pugh has really come into her own over the past few years, both in terms of her acting career and her red carpet presence. The 27-year-old Oppenheimer actress has had some truly unforgettable fashion moments over the past few years – and we are confident that more jaw-dropping ensembles will be on their way in the not-so-distant future – with perhaps the most head-turning being the infamous hot pink Valentino dress she wore to Valentino’s Haute Couture Fall/Winter 22/23 fashion show in July 2022.

The sheer Barbiecore dress, which she wore without a bra, pretty much broke the internet as soon as the Little Women actress stepped out in it due to the super-revealing nature, as it left absolutely nothing to the imagination. Florence has actually worn a number of sheer dresses, skirts, and tops over the past few years (she knows what she likes!) but the pink Valentino dress is still a hot topic of discussion more than one year later!

Florence Pugh Reflects On The Negativity Surrounding The Infamous Valentino Dress

The Fighting with My Family actress reflected on the negativity surrounding the sheer dress in a conversation with friend and fellow actress Jodie Turner-Smith for the October issue of Elle UK, for which she is also the cover star.  "I think the scariest thing for me are the instances where people have been upset that I've shown 'too much' of myself," Flo began. "When everything went down with the Valentino pink dress a year ago, my nipples were on display through a piece of fabric, and it really wound people up."

"It's the freedom that people are scared of; the fact I'm comfortable and happy," the A Good Person star continued, adding, "Keeping women down by commenting on their bodies has worked for a very long time. I think we're in this swing now where lots of people are saying, 'I don't give a [expletive.]'"

She added: "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. We need to keep reminding everybody that there is more than one reason for women’s bodies [to exist]."

The Don’t Worry Darling star went on to say that it took her a while to get to where she is today in terms of being comfortable with her body, but she now refuses to hide parts of her body because of the potential negative attention it might receive. We have seen her rock everything from sheer skirts to sheer tops, and it doesn’t seem like she will be slowing down any time soon!

"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," she said.

What Did Florence Pugh Say About The Dress Back In 2022?

The Midsommar actress's sheer Valentino dress got a lot of negative attention as soon as wore it on the red carpet last year – so much so, she even had to address the controversy on social media! At the time, she took to Instagram and said, "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 wrote, before talking about the negative comments she heard regarding her breast size.

"I've lived in my body for a long time," she continued at the 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."

She also touched on the controversy she faced for stepping out in the sheer dress as part of Harper's Bazaar's September 2022 cover story, saying: "I was comfortable with my small breasts. And showing them like that, it aggravated [people] that I was comfortable… It was just alarming, how perturbed they were."