Britney's done it. Lindsay's done it. So have Paris, Kate and even Helen Mirren. Are women picking up the no-undies trend?

Thank panty less pop tarts Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton if women have become more aware about leaving home without their undies on. Ever since their no-knickers shenanigans received a, ahem, public airing - with photos to prove it - everyone's been talking about going commando.

The magazine, screaming "Girls Gone Wild: Paris, Lindsay & Nicole - They seem to be everywhere and they may not be wearing underwear!"

But don't be surprised that some of women do go panty less and that most of them have done it at least once in their lifetime.

Obviously, going without isn't a new trend done only by New Flashers, who along with other celebs like Kate Moss and Jemima Khan, have something to prove and maybe show off. Dame Helen Mirren, all of 52 years of age, went to the Academy Awards in an champagne-coloured Christian Lacroix gown - without any under things. The Best Actress Oscar winner said: "It was all made for me so I didn't have to have any underwear."

Private but not confidential

Women prime reason - eliminating the dreaded visible panty line even with G-strings. After all, privates are supposed to be private.

So why not go with a G-string instead? Well, maybe because some women have come to realise that butt floss is not the most comfortable thing to wear while out clubbing or wining and dining. After all, in Portugal and Brazil, the G-string is referred to as um fio dental - dental floss, completely understandable especially for real women with bums. The absolute don't? The VPL of a thong and the Sight of "whale tails", enough for many to hang in their strings and order a trolley-load of Bridget Jones' granny panties.

Which is why some women choose to go pantyless, especially if Bridget's passion-killers are not their idea of a good time.

And a good time to be had by all is one of the reasons some women confess to ditching their drawers. Yup, they do it for their man, they say, to keep him happy. It's a great teaser for a guy who tries to guess if her girlfriend's panty is on or off.

But there's probably more than an obvious element of cheekiness going on. Maybe when Paris and her pantyless peers broke the golden rule of putting on underwear, they also wanted people to know they weren't wearing any (and, in Britney's case, possibly to inform her fans that she did indeed have a Caesarean birth). Gals got a lot of attention when she hugged a male friend and he exclaimed, "You're not wearing any underwear, are you!" Instantly, she became the hottest thing in the club.

There's also the theory that since so many of gals are going for Brazilian waxes, gal might as well show it off. Go to beauty parlour and get the hair removal

Other women will "never, ever do it". "Their privates should be kept private, especially if they're wearing a miniskirt."

Material Girl to keep hers on

Already, the backlash against the commando phenomenon has started. Hollywood types are now crowing that they'd rather keep their bloomers on. Take singer Joss Stone, for instance. She would never wear a short skirt with no knickers, because that would be silly. "If you do that, it's basically like saying you're a slut. And I'm not."

Even Madonna, the original Truth or Dare party girl that she loved panties and thought the commando trend was "dreadful". Lingerie makers around the world must have heaved a collective Sigh of relief to hear that from a trendsetter.

Then there's the worry about personal hygiene. It's simply unhygienic as most women tend to have a discharge from time to time.

But will it harm women health? expert says there's no need to get their knickers in a twist, just as long as they avoid doing it if they're prone to high levels of discharge or incontinence. Still, she does recommend that women go pantyless at home to keep the vagina dry, because the prolonged use of underwear, where it's hot and humid, can cause yeast to grow.

Here's a tip though: If women are going to leave their undies at home, they might want to think about getting that waxing done.