Say the name 'Lena Dunham' and you'll immediately think of the star's career as an activist, director, a writer of essays and short stories – which you can find in her political newsletter Lenny Letter, as well being the star of her hit HBO TV show, Girls.

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However, others might mention the actress' love and appreciation of nudity.

Why?

Well, Dunham likes to get naked and talk about the subject, quite a fair bit.

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And, why not?

After all, Girls is a millenial celebration of all things real and awkward. So real, in fact, that's it's not unusual to see a character engage in an awkward sex scene, lie in the bathtub while chatting to their friend sitting on the toilet, or stand in the kitchen in their underwear.

However, when Lena was in the middle of promoting the sixth and final season of Girls – which drops tonight – at the Today show on Friday, it appears she was stunned – almost as much as the presenter – when she referenced the word for male genitalia, 'penis', during her interview.

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When she asked the show's presenter, Maria Shriver, whether she caught a sight of a 'penis' on Girls – you know, the nether regions that half of the world's population has – Lena, unexpectedly, sent the entire studio into a complete meltdown.

It seems Maria was unsure at to whether 'penis' counted as a swear word on the daytime slot.

(By the way, it doesn't.)

Unsurprisingly, the actress/director seemed equally perplexed as to why the word 'penis' carried so much shock among adults, but carried it off by joking it was probably the last time she'd be invited to appear on the show.

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Maria responded to the incident by calling for help from a collegue and said: 'That's the difference between generations – I wasn't brought up talking like that.'

Lena responded by saying the word penis has obviously been used for a while.

*Slam dunk*

Who knew one such a biologically accurate word could throw a whole TV set into such a frenzy?

However, it appears Dunham didn't let the incident get her down as, the next day, she posted a video of herself dancing to Ed Sheeran's latest single, ahead of her Jimmy Fallon appearance.

Keep doing you, Lena.

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Daisy Murray
Digital Fashion Editor

Daisy Murray is the Digital Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, spotlighting emerging designers, sustainable shopping, and celebrity style. Since joining in 2016 as an editorial intern, Daisy has run the gamut of fashion journalism - interviewing Molly Goddard backstage at London Fashion Week, investigating the power of androgynous dressing and celebrating the joys of vintage shopping.