Florence Pugh's Hand-Painted Denim Jacket Makes a Powerful Statement on Women's Rights

JEAN-BAPTISTE LACROIX/AFP, Getty Images

Florence Pugh is using her platform for good. After COVID-19 delayed the release of Black Widow for over a year, the film is finally set to hit theaters on Friday, July 9th, and Pugh is using her promo tour press looks to highlight young artists whose industry has been terribly affected by the pandemic. Most recently, Pugh had the opportunity to work with paint and print-making artist Joy Yamusangie, which she shared has been a collaboration two years in the making.

After wrapping up Black Widow in 2019 followed by the year that was 2020, Pugh and Joy wanted to create art that not only exhibited the message of the women-empowered film, but also illustrated one of the many "fighting systems that needed to change and be made right." The result? A hand-painted denim jacket with red wine glasses down the sleeves and the visual of a woman with the words "Our bodies our choice!" on the back. She also rocked a pair of matching denim pants.

"When the world stopped, we decided to change the imagery on the surface. So much had happened, so much had changed," she said on Instagram on June 24th. "Joy expressed the want and need to show that, and I agreed. With the world protesting so many wrongs, people coming together on fighting systems that needed to change and be made right, it seemed a perfect moment to make this piece."

The actress went on to explain that Black Widow is the type of film that deals with a lot of "uncomfortable subject matters," but are matters that need to be had. "Cate Shortland the director, never hid away from delivering a hard but important message," she added.

Back in 2019, Scarlett Johansson sat down with press and opened up very candidly about the hyper-sexualition her character has gone through in the last decade-something Black Widow did not reinforce.

"Now people, young girls, are getting a much more positive message, but it's been incredible to be a part of that shift and be able to come out the other side and be a part of that old story, but also progress. Evolve," she explained, in reference to how her character had been treated like a "a piece of meat" in Iron Man 2.

Johansson also stressed this will not be a movie centered on pitting women against other women. "It just felt very old fashioned and not true," she quipped. And she's not wrong either!

Pugh ended her Instagram caption with: "The movie champions ALL women and Joy has made a stunning piece including both Black Widow's message in amongst their powerful and beautiful art. I'm grateful to be a part of a movie like this, I'm grateful to be able to work with Joy during this process."