Lena Dunham is my favorite person at the moment—and if you’ve never heard of her, get to Googling. Emmy-nominated and Golden Globe winning, Dunham stars in, directs, and co-produces her show Girls on HBO, as well as two independent films. At 28, she is well beyond her years in wisdom, advice, insight, and experience. Her memoir, released in September of this year, is sophisticated, endearing, and most importantly, honest. She is a role model for all young people, especially young women finding out whom they want to become. Her sense of humor appeals to almost everyone and to all generations. Her imperfections are interesting and sincere. And it’s her authenticity that makes her feel like a long-lost friend. So, why should you love her?
1. She’s one of us
2. She’s hilarious
Lena’s sense of humor and comedic timing is so modern yet unexpected; it’s a refreshing mix of risqué, frank, and relatable.
3. She’s body-positive
Although Dunham isn’t generally “hot”, she is very often naked on her HBO show Girls. She shows people a true image of sex and nudity, as opposed to the unrealistic portrait that is habitually painted for us in the media. In a candid Q&A with fans she says, “Confidence comes from feeling like I can be proud of my life. I know that I am the best version of myself that I can be; and that doesn’t mean losing 30 pounds, that means taking care of myself and treating myself like precious cargo.”
4. She’s a feminist
She’s recently been referred to as a feminist icon. She’s changed the way women are portrayed on TV, both sexually and with regard to independence and intelligence. At only 26, she wrote, directed, produced, and starred in her own series. She has a strong voice that resonates with all types of women and demands to be heard. It is her courage and openness that helps bring her ideas to the forefront of today’s issues regarding women. She explains, “A huge part of being a feminist is giving other women the freedom to make choices you might not necessarily make yourself.” In an interview with Metro newspaper, she said, “Do you believe that women should be paid the same for doing the same jobs? Do you believe that women should be allowed to leave the house? Do you think that women and men both deserve equal rights? Great, then you’re a feminist.”
5. Her selfies
6. Her honesty
Lena’s book Not That Kind of Girl is full of the best advice I’ve been given. She remarks on relationships, both romantic and platonic; college and its endless possibilities and disappointments; learning to love yourself and your body, as well as the importance of finding someone else who does too; and most essentially, she acknowledges the significance of putting yourself first and becoming who you are at your own pace.
Simply put, Dunham notes, “You have to love yourself to love someone who’s going to love you.”
Girls Season 4 premieres Sunday, January 11 at 9PM on HBO