Florence Pugh not attending the ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ premiere
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The story of Florence Pugh and cultural appropriation
Florence Pugh is one of the hottest names in Hollywood right now. After starring in a succession of acclaimed titles such as Midsommar, Little Women and Black Widow, the actor’s currency is at an all-time high. With a starring role in Olivia Wilde’s heavily discussed upcoming picture Don’t Worry Darling, it appeared as though Pugh’s career is about to reach another level, with the notoriety surrounding the movie only serving to boost her status.
Although Pugh is one of the finest acting prospects of her generation, appearing to be a force for good in the ever-toxic world of Hollywood, back in 2020, she hit a significant fork in the road. The actor was called about by fans for cultural appropriation when she was younin her youth, the gravity of which she never realised until it reached the mainstream media.
Of course, cultural appropriation is a tricky topic. However, it is indicative of the fact that celebrities and people from wealthy backgrounds like Pugh live in a bubble excluded from everyday society and that there is still much to do on the road to equal rights for BAME people.
In June that year, Pugh posted a lengthy statement through her Instagram account, apologising for her past actions. She confirmed that when she was younger, she disrespected other cultures. Remarkably, however, and reflective of the overarching point, she hadn’t even heard the term “cultural appropriation” until a close friend criticised how she styled her hair.
At the time, aged 18, Pugh was donning braids, a style that originates in African culture. “She began to explain to me what cultural appropriation was, the history and heartbreak over how when black girls do it they’re mocked and judged, but when white girls for it, it’s only then perceived as cool,” the actor explained.
Pugh revealed that she was defensive at the time, which she now accepts as a manifestation of her “white fragility”. She then claimed that a fan had also called her out on the platform for flagrantly appropriating Rastafarian culture when she was 17.
She admitted: “I was reminded of a photo when I was 17. I braided my hair and painted a beanie with the Jamaican flag colours and went to a friend’s house; proud of my Rastafarian creation. I then posted about it the next day with a caption that paraphrased the lyrics to Shaggy’s song ‘Bombastic’.”
The Don’t Worry Darling star maintained that she was “ashamed” of her past behaviours, saying: “At the time, I honestly did not think that I was doing anything wrong”.
“Growing up as white and privileged allowed me to get that far and not know,” she wrote, accepting the bubble that came from: “I am truly sorry to all of you that were offended for years or even just recently.”
Pugh concluded her statement by apologising again: “I cannot dismiss the I actions I bought into years ago, but I believe that we who were blind to such things must acknowledge them and recognise them as our faults, our ignorance and our white privilege and I apologise profusely that it took this long.”
