Florence Pugh lashes out at 'vulgar' men who attacked her for wearing a revealing dress

Florence Pugh puts a stop to those who make fun of her chest 1:29

(CNN) --

Florence Pugh wants the world to know that she is proud of her body, including her nipples.

The “Black Widow” actress responded to the “aggressive” and “vulgar” criticism she received after sharing a photo on social media of the translucent dress she wore at the Valentino haute couture show in Rome.

Florence Pugh, Kate Hudson and Danny Fujikawa attend the Valentino Haute Couture Fall-Winter 2022-2023 runway show in Rome, Italy on July 8, 2022. Credit: Franco Origlia/Getty Images

Pugh made a bold move on Friday in a pink tulle halter dress.

And while many fans loved it, critics disagreed that his nipples were visible.

In an impassioned Instagram post shared on Sunday, the 26-year-old British star revealed that she had been bombarded with negative messages about the dress and her body.

According to Pugh, while she expected "comments" on her choice of outfit, it was interesting to witness how easy it is for "men to totally destroy a woman's body, publicly, with pride."

"It's not the first time, and it certainly won't be the last, that a woman has heard what's wrong with her body from a crowd of strangers, what's worrying is how vulgar some men can be," she wrote to her friends. 7.5 million Instagram followers.

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Pugh went on to say that she had accepted "the complexities of my body" and was content with "all the 'flaws' I couldn't bear to look at when I was 14", before hitting back at the naysayers.

"Many of you aggressively wanted to let me know how disappointed you were in my 'small breasts,' or how ashamed I should be for being so 'flat chested,'" she wrote, adding, "I have lived in my body for a long time. I am fully aware of the size of my breasts and it doesn't scare me.

Calling out social media users who have body-shamed her, she wrote: "What's more worrying is... Why are you so scared of breasts? Are they small? Big? Left? Right?" Right? Is there only one? Maybe none? What. Is. So. Scary?

She then advised those who left derogatory comments on her post to "Grow up. Respect people. Respect bodies. Respect all women. Respect humans."

Pugh capped off her post by alluding to Instagram's ban on female nipple photos, adding the hashtag "#f**kingfreethef**kingnipple."

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Pugh's post was hailed by her fans and other celebrities, who left messages of support.

Actress Joey King wrote: "You are truly amazing. You put into words what many feel but cannot articulate."

Actress Aubrey Plaza said, "This is what I've been saying."

TV personality and social commentator Jameela Jamil wrote: "You're a f***ing magical queen and we don't deserve you."

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