Hollywood actress Eva Mendes has slammed Americans for glorifying violence while remaining prudish about nudity on-screen.

The Hitch star was at the centre of controversy in August, when an advert she filmed for Calvin Klein was deemed too sexy for U.S. TV and banned by several of the major networks.

Mendes has since insisted that she is proud of the promo, which saw her writhing semi-naked on a bed.

And now the star has hit out at American censors for allowing gory shows to appear on TV, yet being too heavy-handed when it comes to naked scenes.

She tells People.com, “I love my country, but I believe that we are too quick to censor nudity. We seem okay with violence, but nudity we race to criticise and censor. I’m not at all ashamed or frightened about showing my body.”