On the red carpet

Florence Pugh smiled and laughed as the cameras flashed. She was wearing a strapless red dress and a matching pair of high heels. Her blonde hair was flowing in a wave down her back, tickling her ears, neck and shoulders, her makeup sparkling under the bright lights.

As she made the usual round of interviews, Florence noticed a man hanging back in the shadows. Unlike his colleagues, he wasn't interviewing any of the other guests; he was simply staring at her.

Florence was unnerved when he finally approached, but not wanting to be rude, she greeted him.

"Florence, one of your first big roles was in Lady Macbeth," the reporter said bluntly, dispensing with the usual pleasantries. "You were only 19 when you filmed that. You must be so brave to film nude sex scenes at such a tender age."

"Err...thanks?" Florence replied. "I've said it before, it was a bit weird being naked on set, but because the scene made sense to the character's arc and the plot, I'm always fine doing it."

"So you're happy doing nude scenes?"

"If it makes sense to do so, yes. I'm not just going to get my kit off for the sake of it." Florence's face began to feel warm. She was usually fine talking about the subject, but the way the questions were being asked, and the way the reporter's eyes kept flicking to her bare shoulders, made the actress feel uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry, who did you say you work for?"

But Florence was being ushered inside, and by the time she got a chance to glance back, the man was gone.

xxx

Florence rubbed her arm awkwardly and shivered, despite the warmth of the room. The questions from they mysterious reporter had unnerved her.

But why? She had always felt confident in how she looked, and didn't even feel ashamed when told to lose weight.

But as the night wore on, Florence began to feel more and more body conscious. Her arms settled around her sides and paranoia was rife within her during every conversation. Were people silently judging her? Thinking that she was fat? Undressing her with their eyes?

Florence was soon positioning herself by the bar. If she was unable to think straight, her mind wouldn't be occupied with negative thoughts.