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A Brief History of Pantlessness in Pop Culture

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Leg, Thigh, Human leg, Sportswear, Muscle, Photography, Selfie, Shorts, pinterest

Pants, who need 'em, right? Here at ELLE.com, we love a good pantsless moment, so we were delighted to see Lena Dunham close out her run as Hannah Horvath on Girls with a strong scene sans pants. Here, we celebrate a few other hallmark trouserless moments in pop culture. Enjoy! Pants optional.

Risky Business: "Old Time Rock 'n' Roll"

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Risky Business is the pantsless moment that bore all future pantsless moments (except for Adam and Eve, the original pantsless pair).

Back to the Future: The Most Awkward Mother/Son Scene Ever

There's nothing like your mom 30 years in the past hitting on you in your undies.

Charlie's Angels: Cameron Diaz's Booty Dance

No pants dance goals.

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Sex and the City: The Big Shirt

Shoulder, Human leg, Room, Interior design, Shelf, Fixture, Shelving, Knee, Bookcase, Foot,

As you may remember, Carrie and Big fall into the pond in Central Park, soaking her dress and forcing her to borrow one of his dress shirts to go home in. Casual! And a look repeated by Rihanna years later...

Alexander Skarsgård at the 2016 MTV Movie Awards

Performance, Entertainment, Event, Performing arts, Music artist, Public event, Thigh, Stage, Fun, Leg,

Frankly, we have no idea what is going on here―for some reason Alexander Skarsgård showed up to the MTV Movie Awards sans pants. More of this, please.

True Blood: Alexander Skarsgård Is Fire

Skin, Human leg, Photograph, Toe, Summer, Sitting, Tan, Beauty, Comfort, Foot,
HBO

There we go.

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The Simpsons: Homer Hates Pants

Yellow, Animation, Animated cartoon, Cartoon, Interaction, Fiction, Illustration, Fictional character, Graphics, Clip art,

Friends: Ross's Paste Pants

Room, Furniture, Interior design, Floor, Living room, Chair, Flooring, Lamp, House, Interior design,

Like Ross, if your leather pants shrink, you might try PASTE PANTS.

Britney Spears Strips at the VMAs

Remember when Britney whipped off her pants at the 2000 VMAs and did her "Oops I Did It Again" thing in a full sparkly naked look? Pantsless drama.

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Seinfeld: Kramer Plays Pool

Everyone knows that pantslessness improves your sporting skills.

Girls: Shoshanna Does Crack

Shosh! How far she has come—from accidentally doing crack and running around on the street with no pants on.

Madonna's 2016 Met Ball Outfit

Madonna at the 2016 Met Ball

In keeping with the 'Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology' theme, Madonna showed us a future of no pants.

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Lost in Translation: The Opening Scene

The moment we were introduced to Scarlett Johanssen's butt.

Basic Instinct: The Interview

A NSFW no-pants scene, in which Sharon Stone dazzled some detectives with her...logic.

Sherlock: "Are You Wearing Any Pants?"

Poor old Watson.

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Girls: Hannah Scolds a Teen on the Street

Lena Dunham in Girls
Mark Schafer/HBO

There could be no more fitting end to the series than Hannah Horvath standing outside in just a hoodie.

Beyoncé: "7/11"

Leg, Thigh, Shoulder, Joint, Knee, Snapshot, Standing, Fashion, Human leg, Footwear,

Basically all of Bey's pantless moments, ever, but particularly in her vid for "7/11".

Donald Duck: Literally All the Time

Walt disney world, Mascot, Amusement park, Animated cartoon, Duck, World, Recreation, Toy,

He loves the pantsless life.

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