Florence Pugh opens up about accepting her body as it is: 'I'm not trying to hide the cellulite'

Living in the spotlight not only exposes you to praise and acclaim but also intense scrutiny. Many celebrities are now opening up about overcoming insecurities and learning to love the skin they're in. Florence Pugh admitted recently that she's become more confident about her body in the last few years. In a cover shoot and interview for Elle UK’s October issue, the 27-year-old "Oppenheimer" star revealed that it took her a long time to feel confident, especially on red carpets, but she refuses to hide certain parts of herself.

“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. “I think the scariest thing for me are the instances where people have been upset that I’ve shown ‘too much’ of myself.” 

Back in July 2022, the actress received a ton of backlash for wearing a sheer pink halterneck gown to the Valentino Haute Couture fashion show. Addressing the criticism, she shared: “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.”

She added that she thinks the reaction showed people are "terrified of the human body." "Keeping women down by commenting on their bodies has worked for a very long time," she continued. "I think we’re in this swing now where lots of people are saying, ‘I don’t give a s--t.’ 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].”

In the aftermath of the fuss over her pink gown, Pugh addressed fan reactions in a post shared on Instagram in July 2022. She explained in the post that although she knew the dress might draw attention (good or bad) and that wouldn't be "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," she was surprised "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."

She then went on to question her critics, "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."

During her chat with Elle UK, the "Midsommar" star admitted she's learned to love her body with time. “When I first started doing red carpets, it was really tough,” she told the magazine. “It takes ages to feel comfortable with 50 men all shouting, ‘Picture, over here!’  I’ve become more confident in the last few years," she added. "I think that’s hugely linked to the clothes I’ve been wearing. The more you can enjoy it, the more [people] can see that you’re enjoying it.”