"I wore that dress because I know." Why everyone is talking about Florence Pugh.

Florence Pugh does not give a sh*t about opinions on her 'freeing the nipple', thank you very much.

The 26-year-old Marvel actor was among a sea of celebrities dressed in hot pink at the Valentino Haute Couture Fall/Winter spectacle in Rome on July 8. Anne Hathaway wore a sparkly mini, Ariana DeBose was bright and floral, and Pugh was in a sheer gown.

And there lies the problem, apparently.

"Technically, they're covered?" Pugh joked in an Instagram post after the event.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Florence Pugh (@florencepugh)

While her comments section was full of praise and celebratory messages, there was also a pretty loud amount of criticism about 'leaving something to the imagination' and 'having respect for yourself'. Others - almost all men, by the way - announced they were not 'impressed' or deemed her a '3/10', as if anyone asked.

A day later, Pugh shared another set of images, alongside a lengthy caption where she hit back at their criticism.

"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," she wrote.

She stressed that she had no regrets about the outfit, but found it "interesting" to witness the negativity and hate directed at her choice.

"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?

"It isn't 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, what's worrying is just how vulgar some of you men can be."

Pugh said these comments did not get to her, but she wanted to address them because of the message it sent.

"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 wrote.

"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."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Florence Pugh (@florencepugh)

She continued: "It has always been my mission in this industry to say 'f*** it and f*** that' whenever anyone expects my body to morph into an opinion of what's hot or sexually attractive. I wore that dress because I know.

"If being loudly abusive towards women publicly in 2022 is so easy for you, then the answer is that it is you who doesn't know. 

"Grow up. Respect people. Respect bodies. Respect all women. Respect humans. Life will get a whole lot easier, I promise."

She signed off with the hashtag #f***ingfreethef***ingnipple.

Pugh's post received an outpouring of support from fans as well as famous friends.

Jameela Jamil commented: "You're a magical f***ing queen and we do not deserve you."

Bridgerton's Nicola Coughlan said, "Adore you," while Joey King wrote, "You are truly so amazing. You put into words what so many feel but can't articulate".

Others that showed their support include DeBose, Dan Levy, and Gemma Chan.

Bridgerton star Regé-Jean Page reposted Pugh's post to his story, with a message for men.

"Take a look at yourself fellas. Then take a look at your mates and step up when it's time to step up. When the boys are out of line, have a word," he wrote.

"The weird thing about misogyny is men actually listen to other men, so do your bit, cos the next few years in particular are gonna be a really good time to listen, and take some responsibility, for everyone's sake."

Image: Instagram @regejean/Getty.

Pugh's reaction isn't surprising. She's always been one to call out those who try to tell her how to live her life - like the many times she's pushed back against negativity over her relationship with Scrubs star Zach Braff.

What's even less surprising is the fact that she faced criticism at all. 

Maybe one day we'll get to a stage where random dudes don't feel the need to comment on someone's breast size on social media, but today is not that day.

Feature Image: Getty/Instagram/Mamamia.