Penelope Cruz admitted she feels ''uncomfortable'' when she's called beautiful.

The 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' actress - who has Luna, six, and Leo, nine, with her husband Javier Bardem - doesn't like having attention drawn to her looks or having to think about her appearance.

Asked how she feels when she's described as beautiful, she told Red magazine: ''Uncomfortable. I don't think of myself in those terms. ''

But the 46-year-old star admitted she feels much more confident about her appearance now than she did when she was younger.

She said: ''I was not too confident [about my looks] but I didn't grow up too focused on them.

''I wouldn't change the way I feel now for the way I felt when I was 20. There were some insecurities about things that you later realise are not important.''

Penelope values compliments that come from her children far more than any others because she knows they are genuine.

Explaining why they mean so much to her, she explained: ''Because you know they are telling the truth.''

The 'Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides' star think society still shows a lack of respect for women because there are so many ''taboos'' around the subject of female hormones and bodies.

She added: ''There are too many taboos surrounding women's bodies and I think it equals a big lack of respect.

''You might be thinking, 'What's the relationship between hormones and respect?' But it's completely related.

''Words and phrases such as period, postpartum depression, menopause, even today you bring those words up at a dinner table and it makes people nervous.''