LOS ANGELES • Feathers flew on Wednesday when Red Sparrow star Jennifer Lawrence's choice of a plunging black dress on a cold London day was questioned by critics.

Posting on Facebook, the Oscar-winning star said she was "extremely offended" over the "utterly ridiculous" reaction on social and mainstream media to the photo, taken as part of promotions for the upcoming movie Red Sparrow.

The photo, taken outdoors on a bitter winter's day in London earlier this week, showed a bare-shouldered Lawrence, 27, while actor Jeremy Irons and three fellow cast members donned thick wool coats, Reuters reported.

Many commentators saw the photo as a reflection of the pressure on Hollywood women to look good.

Lawrence, though, was having none of it. "That Versace dress was fabulous. You think I'm going to cover that gorgeous dress up with a coat and a scarf? I was outside for five minutes. I would have stood in the snow for that dress because I love fashion and that was my choice," she wrote on Facebook.

"This is sexist, this is ridiculous, this is not feminism," she added. "It's creating silly distractions from real issues. Get a grip, people."

Her black dress is very similar to a headline-grabbing gown British actress Elizabeth Hurley wore in 1994.

The Daily Mail noted how Lawrence's figure-hugging dress had "a near-identical shape" to the gown Hurley wore to a Los Angeles party. Both dresses are by Versace and feature a deep-plunging neckline and a thigh-high slit.

Lawrence's version lacked one detail in Hurley's gown though - the oversized gold safety pins that held it together.