In true Hannah Horvath fashion, Lena Dunham stuck her foot in her mouth in the now infamous excerpts from her memoir, “Not That Kind of Girl.” The recollection of her sexual experimentation and discovery as a 7-year-old child is causing ripples in the world of social media, which has led to calls by conservatives for Planned Parenthood and HBO to abandon their relationship with the young starlet.
These two outlets have rarely seen eye-to-eye with conservatives — a single episode of "Real Time with Bill Maher" could attest to that. The alleged outrage by the conservative media is asinine and is an attack on Dunham's growing influence as a writer, creator, actress and, most importantly, feminist idol among young women.
After being published for more than a month, it took an extreme right conservative to exploit a single passage of her memoir, that was found inoffensive by the majority readers who did not read only the out-of-context excerpt. In his article “Pathetic Privilege,” Kevin Williamson disparages Dunham’s character and upbringing based on her relationship with her younger sister, Grace Dunham.
The recent controversy is not the first time Williamson sought to discredit and destroy Dunham and women’s rights in general; however, this is the first time his gross critiques stuck. Williamson incorrectly frames the alleged sexual abuse as white privilege for which less affluent and colored parents would have their children taken away.
Although I agree with the notion that the happenings of lower socioeconomic homes are more closely scrutinized, I do not believe this was Williamson's true concern. Rather, it was to make a statement on women’s reproductive rights and Dunham’s avid role as an ally to Planned Parenthood.
Williamson gained notoriety in September when he tweeted that women who have an abortion should be subjected to hanging, which exhibits his obvious disrespect toward the women’s rights Dunham has made a career of advocating.
The conservative media is alleging a definitive conclusion that Dunham is a sick and remorseless sexual predator based on the behavior of a child. Dunham’s actions as a kid have led to dissent even within the medical community as to whether it is normal childhood exploration or unhealthy sexual development.
Regardless, to persecute Dunham for actions committed as a minor is outrageous, especially when the comments of focus occurred while she was 7. The attack on Dunham is a ploy to discredit her feminist role and shame women from appreciating her talent. The outrage is effectively reverting women back into the shadows in discovering and embracing their sexuality.
Children’s sexual curiosity can undoubtedly be uncomfortable and incite squeamish reactions among adults, especially when someone forces us to confront it in the way Dunham has in her passage. Unquestionably, Dunham’s parents should have interfered with her actions as a child if they had recognized them, but in not doing so does not equate to child abuse. Dunham’s actions likely sprouted from simple childhood curiosity and understanding of her own body that all children experience in their own way.
As Jessica Bennett of “Time” eloquently understands the controversy, “It’s about women who make us uncomfortable.” Dunham in her first season of “Girls” created an episode, “Vagina Panic,” completely dedicated to friends attending an abortion and her character testing positive for HPV in the meantime. The mainstream media averts touchy topics in which Dunham is willing to confront on a large platform like HBO. Dunham is fearless in facing what we as society are made uncomfortable by, and her spunky spirit and controversial ways made her an easy target for WIlliamson.
As a long time fan of Dunham (and diehard fan of “Girls”), I will continue to look up to a woman who possesses incredible talent and made headway in an industry dominated by men.
The only action Dunham is guilty of is also her greatest gift to the artistic world: being brutally honest and dispelling the taboo even when it risks the societal norm. Women should aspire to be as brave and bold as Dunham has been in her short life and surround her feminist message of embracing your sexuality and refuting the norm.
Reach the columnist at jemeyer3@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @JordanElizaM
Editor’s note: The opinions presented in this column are the author’s and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.
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