Florence Pugh’s Best Body Positivity Quotes Through the Years: ‘Respect People, Respect Bodies’

Credit: Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock

Florence Pugh’s Best Body Positivity Quotes Through the Years: ‘Respect People, Respect Bodies’

Speaking her truth. Florence Pugh has never been afraid to call out unattainable Hollywood beauty standards. Over the years, the Don’t Worry Darling star has repeatedly called out critics and trolls who have judges her appearance, mocked her looks and made negative comments about her body. By speaking out against body-shamers, Pugh has followed the likes of Bryce Dallas Howard, Lena Dunham, Serena Williams and more female A-listers to change the industry’s perspective on body positivity for the better. In 2019, Pugh famously hit back at a review that compared the size of her thighs to that of the WWE pro she portrayed in the movie, Saraya Jade Bevis (a.k.a. Paige). “Oh dear,” she tweeted in response to the Evening Standard’s story in March 2019. “Singling out my ‘chunky’ thighs doesn’t help normalizing an ‘all shape & size’ Hollywood. In fact that’s part of the problem. I do hope people take more away from the film than the circumference of my hams.” The Black Widow actress has also sparked body image conversation with several of her stunning red carpet looks. In particular, the pink, see-through dress she donned at the Valentino Haute Couture Fashion Show in July 2022 made headlines as it showed off her nipples. [jwplayer Bm17TbwI-zhNYySv2] “Listen, I knew when I wore that incredible Valentino dress that there was no way there wouldn’t be a commentary on it,” Pugh wrote via Instagram alongside a slideshow featuring pics of herself from the event. “Whether it be negative or positive, we all knew what we were doing. I was excited to wear it, not a wink of me was nervous. I wasn’t before, during or even now after.” Poking fun at haters, she continued, “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. You even do it with your job titles and work emails in your bio..?” Noting that the outfit “won’t be the last time a woman will hear what’s wrong with her body by a crowd of strangers,” the Oscar nominee went on to note, “What’s worrying is just how vulgar some of you men can be.” Among the many celebs who praised Pugh for her post was Bridgerton alum Regé-Jean Page, who encouraged men to learn a thing or two from the Little Women star on his Instagram story on Sunday, July 10, 2022. “Take a look at yourself fellas,” the Roots alum wrote. “When the boys are out of line, have a word.” Scroll below to read Pugh’s most empowering body positivity quotes over the years.

Credit: Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock

February 2023

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Pugh revealed that she doesn't feel pressure to look a particular way to be considered a role model.

"When I started out, my granddad would always tell me off and be like, 'Why are you showing everyone your ugly spots?'" the Midsommar star shared. "He’d be really confused as to why I’d show my cellulite. My answer was like, 'Well, I’d much rather do it than they do it, and then I feel ashamed.'"

When it comes to how she portrays herself in the public eye, she stated, "There's no pretending with me," adding, "When I put on makeup and step in a wonderful dress, I give credit to the people that made me look like that, and I also want my fans to know that a) I don’t look like that all the time and b) I also have stress acne, and I also have hairy eyebrows and I also have greasy hair."

She concluded her thoughts, stating, "I’ve always thought that was a way better way to do it. Just be honest and open — then no one has to call you out for anything. You are who you are."

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January 2023

"Body image for women is a major thing," Pugh stated while showing off her cooking skills in a Vogue YouTube video. "From the moment you start growing thighs and bums and boobs and all of it, everything starts changing. And your relationship with food starts changing."

She went on to recall a "weird chapter with the beginning of my career" where people in Hollywood found it "confusing" that she wasn't "complying" to fit certain beauty standards.

"I think women, especially young women in Hollywood, are obviously putting themselves in all these ways in order to get whatever opportunity that they need to get because that's just the way it's been."

But as she stated, "I think I definitely put my foot down in that aspect," adding, "I love food."

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July 2022

Calling out critics of her sheer Valentino gown via Instagram, the England native slammed comments regarding disappointment over breast size.

"So many of you wanted to aggressively let me know how disappointed you were by my 'tiny tits,' or how I should be embarrassed by being so 'flat chested,'" she captioned her post. "I’ve lived in my body for a long time. I’m fully aware of my breast size and am not scared of it."

She continued, "I’m very grateful that I grew up in a household with very strong, powerful, curvy women. We were raised to find power in the creases of our body. To be loud about being comfortable. It has always been my mission in this industry to say 'f--k it and f--k that' whenever anyone expects my body to morph into an opinion of what’s hot or sexually attractive."

Pugh ended her post with some words of advice for haters. "Grow up. Respect people. Respect bodies. Respect all women. Respect humans," she declared. "Life will get a whole lot easier, I promise."

Credit: Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock

May 2020

When it came to taking on the role of Russian assassin Yelena Belova for Marvel's Black Widow, Pugh told Elle that she wanted to be a part of the workout and diet process from the very beginning.

"When I got the job, I wanted to know what the regime was," she stated. "I wanted to know whether it was them or me calling the shots. That was a big deal for me. I didn’t want to be part of something where I was constantly checked on. And people making sure I was in the 'right' shape. That’s not me at all."

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March 2019

After the U.K.'s Evening Standard referred to her thighs as "chunky" in a film review for Fighting With My Family, the Lady Macbeth star took to Twitter to clarify her thoughts on the article.

"No one upset because of the word 'chunky,'" she tweeted. "Whether positive or negative there is totally no need in a film review to highlight how big OR small any part of my body is. Commenting on it like this doesn’t educate, it only highlights unnecessarily and that is why people are upset.