Lena Dunham's insists her nudity in Girls isn't to "land screen caps on blogs".

The creator-and-star of the hit HBO series is regularly sans clothes on screen and has revealed why the scenes are warranted.

Dunham doesn't want to offend people, but feels going without garments occasionally is far more realistic.

"To express what I'm trying to express, to express the truth... This is what feels right to me in the moment. This is what is poetic. It's not a calculation to land screen caps of me on blogs," she told CBS TV.

"We have this insane culture where women who don't look like the cast of Gossip Girl are put into sweaters and nightgowns to sleep in. What I love are like the films from the '70s where someone gets out of bed and you see half of their nipple, because that's what it looks like for a person to get out of bed."

Dunham plays aspiring writer Hannah in Girls and her character is far from fashion-conscious. The 26-year-old actress explained Hannah's clothes are intentionally ill-fitting.

"Yeah. We will do a thing sometimes where we'll, like, all fit clothes with Spanx so that they're kinda, like, fit right. And then I'll remove the Spanx so they're kinda like rumpled up," she explained.

"Yeah, I think it's important. I think it's a part of who she is," she added, when asked if she wants her character to look "a little awkward".

- Cover Media