Shailene Woodley uncomfortable with Jennifer Lawrence comparisons

Shailene Woodley is uncomfortable with constant comparisons to fellow actress Jennifer Lawrence, insisting pitting female stars against one another "creates distress".

The Descendants star is a big fan of Lawrence and even turned to The Hunger Games beauty for advice about taking on a big franchise before signing on for the Divergent series.

But she insists she isn't trying to follow her friend's career steps and is urging reporters and fans to quit comparing female celebrities - because criticism can cause them serious insecurities.

Woodley reveals she was particularly hurt following a pre-taped appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in March (14), when she was booed by the studio audience for refusing to accept the comparisons.

The segment, during which she told host Fallon that "comparisons always lead to despair", was edited out of the TV broadcast, but she explains to New York Magazine, "It bothered me, because it's human nature to feel bad if you are booed by an entire audience."

She continues, "As women, we are constantly told that we need to compare ourselves to a girl in school, to our co-workers, to the images in a magazine. How is the world going to advance if we're always comparing ourselves to others?

"I admire Jennifer Lawrence, but she's everyone's favourite person to compare me to. Is it because we both have short hair and a vagina? I see us as separate individuals. And that's important.

"As women, our insecurities are based on all these comparisons. And that creates distress."