Florence Pugh slams backlash over sheer pink gown: 'Technically they're covered?'
Florence Pugh is pushing back on those who criticized the sheer ensemble she wore to a fashion show in Italy over the weekend.
The actress was photographed at the Valentino Haute Couture fall 2022 show in Rome wearing a sheer, hot pink gown by the design house, which boasted a floor-sweeping, light-as-air tulle skirt and a high collar neckline. She paired the gown with a pair of similarly bright pink platform heels and a slicked back blonde bob.
Pugh shared images of herself wearing the look on Instagram along with a caption that read, "Technically they're covered?"
The joke appeared to be a reference to the gown's gauzy fabric, which revealed her chest.
"Feeling magical in @maisonvalentino," she continued, thanking Pier Paolo Piccioli, Valentino's creative director, and her own team for bringing the look to life.
"@pppiccioli you absolute genius. Stunning. Stunning. Stunning evening," she wrote. "Thank you again, my beautiful team, for making my pink princess dreams come true."
The Academy Award nominee's post garnered more than 1.4 million likes -- and a lot of comments.
While many wrote how "beautiful," "stunning," and "gorgeous" Pugh appeared, some made comments referring to her bare breasts in vulgar terms and leaving critical remarks about the look.
A day later, the actress responded with another photo of herself wearing the pink ensemble, along with a lengthy caption responding to the backlash from her previous post.
"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," the "Black Widow" star wrote. "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," she continued. "You even do it with your job titles and work emails in your bio..?"
To those who left trolling comments, Pugh said that she was thankful that she'd come to terms with the intricacies of her body and all of the flaws that she couldn't bear to look at when she was 14.
"What's more concerning is…. Why are you so scared of breasts?" she asked. "What. Is. So. Terrifying."
Pugh, 26, said she was "very grateful" to have grown up in a household "with very strong, powerful, curvy women" who had raised her "to find power in the creases of our body. To be loud about being comfortable."
"Grow up," she wrote, closing out the post. "Respect people. Respect bodies. Respect all women. Respect humans. Life will get a whole lot easier, I promise."
Pugh was not the only star to shine in bright pink at the Valentino show: Others in attendance included Anne Hathaway and Ariana Debose, who both donned minidresses and the same towering platform heels as Pugh. "Riverdale" actor Charles Melton also tried his hand at the bright pink trend, attending the show in matching suit, dress shirt, and sneakers, plus a pair of dark sunglasses to top off the look.
"RuPaul's Drag Race" star Symone also wore a bright pink ensemble to the event, finishing the look with a floor-length cape.
