Actress Rachel Weisz, dressed in Vera Wang with vintage Cartier jewellery, arrives at the 79th Annual Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, on February 25. - Reuters

Bangshowbiz:

Rachel Weisz has branded thin women "unfeminine".

The British actress has urged Hollywood stars not to feel under pressure to diet, insisting women without curves are less feminine and not very attractive.

Rachel said: "If you diet away your curves, you are dieting away your femininity. I enjoy dressing up, but you can do that without flagellating your body."

The 36-year-old loved the attention her breasts received when she appeared in a low- cut gown at last year's Venice film festival.

Rachel, who had given birth just three months earlier to son Henry, said: "Luckily the empire line was in fashion. My breasts were still pretty huge and the dress just flowed, bypassing most of my body.

"So it was a great moment for me, I coincided with fashion in a good way."

Rachel, who lives in New York with director Darren Aronofsky, says she loves Manhattan because she can enjoy a quiet life.

She explained: "I love Manhattan, it's an island full of immigrants. I can live a relatively normal life there. New Yorkers are always in too much of a rush to be star struck."