Florence Pugh Says It’s ‘Exhausting’ Being a Woman in Hollywood, Talks Stars Being ‘Torn Apart’ for Their Bodies

For Florence Pugh, being in Hollywood and dealing with unrealistic beauty standards has been draining.

The We Live in Time star, 28, spoke to The Times and got candid about how young women in the public eye, like herself, are treated and why she likes going against the norm.

“There are fine lines women have to stay within, otherwise they are called a diva, demanding, problematic. And I don’t want to fit into stereotypes made by others,” she explained. “It is really exhausting for a young woman to just be in this industry, and actually other industries. But I’ve always been encouraged to have a voice.”

Pugh recalled feeling like she wasn’t represented in the industry early on. Because of that, the actress said she loves challenging how the public expects women to look.

“I remember godawful headlines about how Keira Knightley isn’t thin any more, or watching women getting torn apart despite being talented and beautiful,” she told the outlet. “The only thing people want to talk about is some useless crap about how they look. And so I didn’t care to abide by those rules. I’ve loved challenging ideas I don’t like.”

“I wanted to challenge how women were perceived, how we are supposed to look,” she continued. “Actually I wasn’t trying to challenge. I just wanted to be there, to make space for a version of a person that isn’t all the things they used to have to be. I’m proud I’ve stuck by myself and look the way I look — I’m really interested in people who are still angry with me for not losing more weight, or who just hate my nose ring. I am not going to be able to just change the way that things are — but I can certainly help young women coming into this industry by making conversations happen where they weren’t before.” 

In October 2023, Pugh also opened up about embracing her body in an interview with Elle UK.

“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.” 

The Oppenheimer star then went on to discuss the backlash she received for wearing a sheer pink halterneck gown to the Valentino couture show in Rome the previous summer. 

“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,” said Pugh. “It’s the freedom that people are scared of; the fact I’m comfortable and happy.”

The actress 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 said at the time.

“I think we’re in this swing now where lots of people are saying, ‘I don’t give a s—.’ 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,” Pugh continued. “We need to keep reminding everybody that there is more than one reason for women’s bodies [to exist].”