Florence Pugh Says It’s “Exhausting” Being a Woman in Industry, Calls Out Beauty Standards

Florence Pugh is reflecting on why it’s “exhausting” being a woman in the industry.

During an interview with The Times published on Sunday, the We Live in Time star candidly discussed how women in Hollywood are treated and why she’s always vowed to go against the norm.

“I’m not nasty — I hope people think I’m kind. But there are fine lines women have to stay within, otherwise they are called a diva, demanding, problematic,” Pugh said. “And I don’t want to fit into stereotypes made by others. 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.”

Already having been in the industry for 10 years, Pugh recalled seeing the headlines about Keira Knightley early on and how easily women could be ridiculed on their looks.

She explained, “Look, not everybody has legs that go on for days. I remember watching this industry and feeling that I wasn’t represented. I remember godawful headlines about how Keira Knightley isn’t thin anymore, or watching women getting torn apart despite being talented and beautiful. 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.”

In her career thus far, Pugh said she’s aimed to “challenge how women were perceived” and how they’re “supposed to look” by calling out why any judgment is wrong.

“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,” she said.

Whether chopping her hair or wearing a see-through dress on the red carpet, Pugh said she has been “proud” to remain true to herself despite any criticism or cliché beauty standards.

“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,” she said.

Pugh has been candid before about being proud of who she is and her body. During an interview with Elle U.K. last year, the actress explained, “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. I think the scariest thing for me are the instances where people have been upset that I’ve shown ‘too much’ of myself.”

During an event, Pugh had worn a sheer Valentino dress that resulted in online criticism. Of the look, Pugh said, “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.”

Pugh recently starred in We Live in Time alongside Andrew Garfield. The actress is next set to star in Thunderbolts and was announced to join a seven-episode limited series based on John Steinbeck’s 1952 novel East of Eden for Netflix.