Jennifer Lawrence Is Happy That She Decided to Strip Down

Jennifer Lawrence doesn't just want to be known as a "wilderness-type girl" because of her roles as courageous bow-and-arrow-wielding character Katniss in The Hunger Games or backwoods gal Ree in Winter's Bone—that's why she decided to strip down for a sexy Esquire photo shoot.

The actress posed in a few skimpy swimsuits for the magazine back in 2010, showing the world that she can do a lot more than play a rough and tough survivor —she can also be incredibly hot.

According to Jennifer, the Esquire shoot was a calculated move. Here's what she said about getting nearly nude for the men's mag (via Digital Spy): "At the time it was very difficult for people to see me as a woman, or sexy, or beautiful. I was just the Winter's Bone wilderness-type girl. And so I did the Esquire shoot and it was a good career move."

Playing the character she did in Winter's Bone might have made her worry about not seeming feminine enough to fans, but Jennifer Lawrence certainly shouldn't feel bad about the opportunities it opened up for her—the part did earn her an Oscar nomination, and it probably helped her land the coveted role of Katniss in The Hunger Games.

Jennifer also shouldn't worry about not being sexy enough—she's managed to turn heads on the red carpet in gorgeous gowns, and she probably got a few fanboys' pulses racing by getting sort of nude in X-Men: First Class as blue babe Mystique.

The actress also has a lot of female fans looking up to her because she's not your typical Hollywood beauty—she doesn't diet, so she's not super-skinny, and she's doing an excellent job when it comes to playing strong female characters. However, she also wants filmmakers to know that she's not against playing a sex siren or a blonde bombshell. Jennifer Lawrence makes it clear that she never said that she's "going to fight for women's rights and be a feminist." She does love women, but she'll do what she has to do to keep her career going strong (maybe that means that she's not against doing nude scenes).

And although Jennifer does want juicy roles, she said that she doesn't want to become as famous as Twilight star Kristen Stewart. Unfortunately, this could be very difficult to avoid since The Hunger Games is already getting tons of buzz, but starring in a blockbuster that makes a ton of money could be very good for Jennifer —she'll have plenty of cash to live off of, so she'll be able to pursue the parts that really speak to her. This seems to be what Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart are doing now that the Twilight movies have them set for life.

So what role would you like to see Jennifer play someday? Do you think she should pursue Oscar-worthy roles, or should she have fun with her career by starring in a raunchy comedy or two?

Check out Jennifer posing for her sexy Esquire shoot below.