Lena Dunham: ‘I radicalized my relationship to my own body in order to accept it’

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Lena Dunham covers the new issue of Glamour. It’s not a bad editorial at all, right? I actually think this is one of the best editorials I’ve ever seen with Lena. I could do without the cat-eyes, but her makeup overall is good and the clothes… well, the clothes are what they are. The bejeweled number with the cutouts is awful. As for the interview… Lena is ready to reopen the Woody Allen can of worms.

On the Woody Allen situation: “I find the most recent revelations about his life really challenging. I hated that Mia Farrow had been bullied because the man she was [splitting up with] was the most powerful cultural figure in New York and therefore nobody wanted to look at his behaviour. I’m grateful to Dylan Farrow for her bravery in speaking out. I’m disappointed that Woody Allen thought discussing his ex’s sexual history and shaming her was an effective strategy in arguing his innocence.”

On her personal heroes: “I think I want my heroes to embody values I can agree with in their work and life.”

How ‘Girls’ helped her accept her body: “I think I radicalized my relationship to my own body in order to accept it. To make my body a prop in my work gave it a value I didn’t feel it had before. At the Golden Globes I had a little bit of fat bubbling over, but I love how that looks. It looks so bountiful. It reminded me of corset dramas. They’ll be a point – maybe when I’m pregnant or when I have kids – when I just want to have my body for myself.”

Her boyfriend of two years, Jack Antonoff: “I remember talking with him on our first date and him being like ‘God, all the articles about your nudity on the show are such bulls—t’. I think women are conditioned to stand by their man and watch them make it to the top, but most men never believe the person they get into a relationship with is going to rise any higher than she was when they met. It takes a very special, evolved person to be able to deal with change within a relationship.”

She talks on the phone with Taylor Swift a lot: “She helps me be stronger and make better decisions.”

[From Glamour via The Daily Mail]

Yeah. This was just in case you’ve never seen a woman with the ability to contort herself so she can kiss her own ass. And Lena really does remind me a bit of Taylor Swift, but I’m not ready to make a full-blown comparison yet –I need time to think about it.

As for her defense of Dylan Farrow and Mia Farrow… it is what it is. Lena is actually one of the few A-listers in Hollywood to go on the record about her thoughts on the Woody stuff. So… I guess props to Lena for having the balls to say something – the overwhelming majority of celebrities didn’t say a word defending or slamming Woody.

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Photos courtesy of Glamour.

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98 Responses to “Lena Dunham: ‘I radicalized my relationship to my own body in order to accept it’”

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  1. Jen says:

    Yes, Lena defends Dylan Farrow……then yesterday goes and makes a “joke” on twitter about being molested by her uncle.

    She’s terrible.

    • Amy Tennant says:

      What did she say on Twitter? I don’t follow her.

    • Sullivan says:

      Uncle Terry?

    • mimi says:

      @Jen

      MTE! She ended up deleting it and then apologized for it later but her vulgar “joke” still haunts her as is such the case with celebrities who don’t think before they tweet something stupid.

      • Penelope says:

        The Hannah character also made a child molesting joke on the “Flo” episode of “Girls.”

    • Nerdista says:

      She quickly apologized…get over it.

    • Metis lady says:

      I like how celebitchy completely ignored her joke about molestation. Kinda disappointed actually.

      People saying “at least she is woman enough to admit her mistake”.. A mature woman wouldn’t have made that comment in the first place

  2. ali says:

    Happy she looks like herself in the cover

    • Tatjana says:

      I think she’s pretty. She ‘s also one of the rare people whose tattoos I like. I quite like her too, actually.

    • Nina W says:

      None of these look like her and why is her mouth always open in photos?

  3. GiGi says:

    I’ve always thought her tattoos were so awful – but is that Ferdinand the Bull on her arm? I kind of love that.

    I have a love/hate thing for her. I actually really like Girls, but (and maybe we all do this) feel that Lena is always saying one thing and then something very different, based on the circumstances or how it relates to her. I guess that’s being a person though, right? I know for myself, the older I get, the wider the grey areas become, so much so that black and white are nearly nonexistant. I guess I can’t hate her for that.

  4. Amy Tennant says:

    I like her better after reading this.

  5. Liv says:

    How is it that so many celebrity women name Taylor Swift when talking about who helps and advises them most? Crazy world. Taylor Swift definitely has an image problem.

    • Mitch Buchanan Rocks! says:

      Yes this doesn’t make sense. Also it seems by her seeming hatred of men that she plays for the other team.

      • Trillion says:

        You want her to have hatred of men. So you see it. I run into ppl with that mindset all the time. Reminds me of my dad who automatically thinks all black people who put energy into lifting up their race have “hatred of whites”. Same lapse in logic.

      • MorticiansDoItDeader says:

        @Mitch, Irrational hatred of men? How so? Also, your statement very strongly implies that all lesbians hate men (which is homophobic and not at all the case).

        @trillion, I agree. I’ve been called a femi-nazi and have also been accused of hating men when I speak up for equality. I don’t understand how championing equal rights is akin to putting another race or gender down. We want equality, not special treatment or to suppress the rights of other races or the opposite sex.

    • Noone says:

      Maybe Taylor Swift is the Gwyneth Paltrow of her generation?

  6. mia girl says:

    Yeah, I’ve tried to radicalize my relationship to Girls and Lena Dunham…
    but still can not accept it.

    They both make cranky.

    • j.eyre says:

      I am going to have to radicalize my relationship to something because that’s a sentence I want to say … and often. I am thinking I might radicalize my relationship with Grape Nehi because I that’s a relationship that would be radicalized well, right? Or maybe my new scrunch boots – they look like they might need me to radicalize our relationship.

      • Penelope says:

        Heh!

        She’s so self-involved and pretentious.

      • mia girl says:

        Yes j.eyre. The radicalization of your relationship with your booties sounds much needed. Look what it did for Katie Holmes, as evidenced in today’s post about her. She clearly radicalized the sh*t out of her relationship to those fug beige booties and accepted them for over two years! And now she evolves into a new radicalized relationship with her red booties.

        Thank you Lena Dunham, for providing the clarion call that j.eyre and her booties so desperately needed.

      • Sixer says:

        I’m going to radicalise my relationship with hot buttered crumpets (crumpet radicalisation takes an S, dontchaknow. Curse these American websites with their American spellcheckers). By eating them.

      • j.eyre says:

        That’s it – the relationship to be radicalized shall be with the booties. I shall analyze my relationship with my name and change it to Jahnny which will allow my relationship with the public to be recognized. My crotched wedges, however, feel our relationship has been marginalized. Alas, my relationship with my vainglory demands I prioritize (which is difficult to do – my patent leather pumps already feel patronized.) And all this I do so I might realize my relationship to my Holmsian aspirations. Thank you for your guidance, mia girl, leave it to you to spiritualize my hopes’ relationship with infinitude!

        (oh course Sixer thinks I should radicalise my relationship with a dictionary, clearly)

      • Sixer says:

        Miss J – only crumpets need the S, wot wiv ’em bein’ English an’ all. Your ZEES are delightful.

      • MissTrial says:

        Agree Penelope.

        I can’t take this chick. I saw her on Graham Norton’s show and was turned off, she is obnoxious, talkative , full of herself.

    • epiphany says:

      Knew this girl from her days at Oberlin College in Ohio. Radicalization and pretentiousness were required subjects. She learned her lessons well.

    • kri says:

      From day one, I found her unbearble. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about “Girls”, so I watched the first few episodes. I was bored/grossed out by all the characters, found the writing precious and pretentious, and the ended up annoyed that I had wasted my time. Unimpressive.

      • Nina W says:

        I completely agree, she is incredibly unimpressive for all the alleged success of her show and all the carrying on about her. I don’t find her anything other than surprisingly annoying. I tried to watch the show and found it unendurable, one episode and I was done and that was before I read word one of her many asinine comments.

      • Caz says:

        oh me too. I don’t even know what “radicalising my relationship to my body” means. Pretentious nonsense.

    • Dimebox says:

      I have radicalized my relationship to my television viewing and now realize that I have the freedom and power to not watch her show. I am now happier, and have enough energy and time to go gather my own water and create weapons with advice from woodland creatures. (-;

    • gefeylich says:

      Yes, this. To me, Dunham’s pronouncements are now reduced to “Blah blah blah blah LOOK AT ME blah blah blah.” She’s boring, has no self-editing skills, and her “opinions” are muddled, to put it kindly.

      Give me Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Maya Rudolph and Rashida Jones over this self-indulgent mess of a woman ANY DAY.

  7. QQ says:

    This is a good look for her, notwithstanding the stupid ass open mouth pout “who? Me?” Pose she keeps trying to make happen

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      Yeah, we can put that face away, please. Everybody, not just her.

    • Esmom says:

      That open mouth pose is the worst thing about her, imo. I seriously cannot take it anymore.

    • I’m with you ladies. Isn’t that known as the “blow job face”? It’s really unattractive and just makes people look derpy. It reminds me of the character Kelso on That 70s Show–he always had that stupid open-mouthed expression when he was trying to figure something out.

    • littlestar says:

      I call it “J-Lo Face”. The mouth open, sultry eyes look is Jennifer Lopez’s signature pose (without wanting to be too crude, it’s basically “come f*ck me” face, trying to look sexy).

      Melania Trump is also horrible for J-Lo Face.

    • Tatjana says:

      Maybe the photographer instructed them to open their mouth.

  8. Dani says:

    I don’t….hate this interview. And that’s saying a lot since I can’t stand her entitled attitude.

  9. V4Real says:

    Wow I question anybody who takes advice from Taylor Swift.

    Taylor helps her make better decisions, really?

    • Esmom says:

      I know. It almost sounds sarcastic, though. Maybe it is?

      • We Are All Made of Stars says:

        No. She went to a Taylor show like last year and gushed on and on about how she loved it and how it was “the most life affirming thing I’ve experienced.” Um, okay. When out-of-tune revenge and self-pity screeds intended for eleven year olds are the most life affirming things you’ve ever experienced, it’s time to get a life and have new experiences.

    • Algernon says:

      I could see Taylor Swift giving decent business advice. Let’s face it, Swifty has turned herself into a budding empire. She’s got her fingers in so many pies. I could see the younger set looking at her as someone who has not only gotten the success but diversified and grown it. At the very least I’d want to know her business manager’s name.

  10. Patricia says:

    I feel like she’s tainting the band “fun”, which I love. J Antanoff is so very and truly talented, but I keep thinking of his relationship with her when I listen to his album lately. What bothers me is that he is SO gifted and then takes up with this over-hyped, open-mouthed, spoiled girl who will tell you about her talent all day long while manifesting nothing but self-indulgent drivel on the screen.
    I did enjoy her on SNL, to my own surprise, but this article has me right back where I started. Ugh.. Lena at the Globes you did not have “a little but of fat bubbling over”, you were wearing the most ill-fitting item you could possibly find in your ongoing attempt to keep yourself in the headlines by purposely looking awful and then complaining about people pointing out the fact that you look awful.

    • Angie says:

      But the best SNL parody of “Girls” was the one with Tina Fey playing an impoverished immigrant trying to understand all the whining.

    • Kimble says:

      I have two observations to make on Fun: 1) They are the only band I have seen live who have NOT introduced nor thanked the back up musicians/singers – it was really weird. 2) They never acknowledged Janelle Monae when they won the Grammy. They were good live, but the whole thing felt a little self indulgent.

      Jack in his shorts/tights combo – it’s like Lena was his stylist LOL! Hipsters rule!

  11. aims says:

    I didn’t realize that Taylor was the go to person for this new generation of artists. That’s actually explains a lot.

  12. blue marie says:

    I dunno, I’ve tried to like her but it doesn’t seem to stick.

    • Cecilia says:

      I’ve never even had the urge to try & like her…

    • ~Z~ says:

      I try not to hate her, but that does not stick either….
      She drives me nuts.
      I feel like she dares people to hate her….So I do….

  13. Darcy says:

    I think if Glamour is going to feature body acceptance in their article. Perhaps they shouldn’t have photoshopped Lena so heavily on the cover. Lena is a beautiful girl and I just don’t think it was necessary. Even Vogue didn’t photoshop her this much.

  14. GoodNamesAllTaken says:

    I don’t like her, but her words about Woody Allen softened me towards her just a little. That took guts.

    • kimbers says:

      Im NOT sure how gutsy it is to say what she did since SOOOO many people fell and say the same. I agree with what she said, but just dont think it took guts to say it.

      • Maybe a lot of people feel that way but the fact remains that not many in Hollywood have spoken out against Allen.

      • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

        @Kimbers
        I haven’t heard of a single other prominent Hollywood male or female saying anything about it but her, so who do you mean?

    • gogoGorilla says:

      Agreed. Normally I find her to be a pretentious twat.

  15. kimbers says:

    She’s not as special as she thinks she is and I love it! Well, love to laugh at the crap she pulls out of her asshat. I can’t wait for her to mature more and reread what she puts out there. She is not original in anything and seems to think she is inventing concepts that have been recycled over and over. I guess since it was before YouTube it didn’t exist…

    • Noone says:

      You’re right kimbers and I love it too. I find her so entertaining to watch, brilliant!

  16. Juliette says:

    Mixed feelings on Lena, but I think it was bold to come out in defense of Mia and Dylan Farrow. Lena is right: Woody was wrong to attack Mia’s past as evidence of his “innocence.” I like that Lena said that, I like that she made the choice to go on the record with it.

    Woody will never work with her now, but hey – she can write, direct, and star in her own NYC storyline without his input. Not all the other actors standing quietly on the sidelines have that agency and power.

    Hmm… Maybe I like Lena more than I thought.

  17. kdlaf says:

    The new season of Girls is actually quite good. There has been a lot of character development which is really good to see. I’m even warming up to Dunham ugh which I thought would never happen. Of course she has some flaws but Im starting to get her whole schtick – a tad bit annoying and “look at me” at times but I think she’s grown up in her years in the public eye – you can see it in her writing.

    • tracking says:

      I agree. The past several episodes have been refreshingly honest and insightful–very well written. I also think it’s refreshing to see a young woman who loves her body despite not being model-thin and who also seems to get how this is perceived (the scene in the Hamptons where her friends make fun of her bikini-clad body before they recognized her had me squirming). I think she’s young/immature, but smart and maturing.

  18. Jaderu says:

    What a shame that one of the few people in Hollywood defending Dylan Farrow is this idiot.

  19. ToodySezHey says:

    ““I think I radicalized my relationship to my own body in order to accept it. ”

    ……………

    WTF does that even mean? Am I the only one who finds this chick and her show insufferable?

    • Redheadwriter says:

      +1

    • PunkyMomma says:

      +1001

    • tracking says:

      Isn’t she just commenting on the criticism of her frequent nudity on the show by saying that the choice of that kind of extreme/radical exhibitionism is part of her own journey to love her ‘imperfect’ body? Yeah, she can be pretentious and narcissistic, but imo she’s doing good things for girls’ body image (and apparently herself) overall.

    • abbizmal says:

      That is exactly what I said when I saw that headline. What the fork is she talking about?

      PS – Bravo though on what she said about that pervert, Woody Allen. People should be ashamed for supporting him. I’m guessing since he married whatshername, he had been messing with her for some time beforehand.

  20. gg says:

    Please tell me that’s not a poor rendering of Ferdinand the Bull on her arm …
    Way to wreck a great cartoon.

  21. Mitch Buchanan Rocks! says:

    When you see a person with Cancer or a person who doesn’t have legs the body image ‘issue’ seems utterly ridiculous. Be grateful for health and that you can walk glamour gals!

    • Jay says:

      Of course you can always find people worse off than you… that doesn’t invalidate your feelings. If we all looked to victims no one would ever be allowed to feel sad or unhappy. That’s just unrealistic and unfair.

  22. Vanessa says:

    She’s kind of annoying, but I like her.

  23. dizzylucy says:

    I like what she said about the WA situation, but I’m getting super tired of her whole existence being about her body and being naked on her show. I’m sure that’s mostly what she’s asked about, but she’s bringing it up too. At some point she needs to steer the conversation back to her actual writing and work.
    Also…why aren’t people asking her the questions they’re asking Mindy? She’s a woman running her own show too.

  24. cro-girl says:

    Im the ugly girl and everyone loves me. – Lena Dunham.

  25. PrettyTarheelFan says:

    First time I’ve ever emailed Mr. Buckeye a comment from Lena Dunham, bu tit made me think of him. ” I think women are conditioned to stand by their man and watch them make it to the top, but most men never believe the person they get into a relationship with is going to rise any higher than she was when they met. It takes a very special, evolved person to be able to deal with change within a relationship.”

    he’s pretty fucking awesome.

  26. allheavens says:

    Don’t like her, never will and her show is annoying as hell.

  27. daniel says:

    OK lets get this straight, she’s not pretty, just average. This whole “I am awesome because I’m chubby and average thing” I’m getting tired of. Her show sucks and she comes off just as pretentious as all the other famous people out there. I can’t wait for her show to be cancelled and for her to go away, she’s annoying.

    • Jay says:

      Her show’s doing well. It had some not so great patches imo but this season has been quite good. I don’t foresee a cancellation anytime soon. Luckily it’s super easy these days to just change the channel….

  28. skeptical says:

    lena needs to be pressured the way poor Mindy is being pressured. Mindy is trying, and lena is not.
    And it’s just soooo obvious that lena is not being required to try.

  29. lee says:

    I really need to stop reading comments on Lena posts. I don’t even particularly like the girl, but it always seems like people are offended by the idea that an average looking girl dares to have any self-confidence. It’s a group of people patting each other in the back for hating the same thing and then pretending that’s a unique or special opinion to have. It all reads just as self-congratulatory and willfully blind as the majority of what Lena says.

    I have clearly had a bad day and should probably vent elsewhere, but this all gets to tiring.

  30. MickeyM says:

    Thank you Kaiser for writing the most amazing line on your wonderful site: “just in case you’ve never seen a woman with the ability to contort herself so she can kiss her own ass.” Brilliant. LOVE IT. I used to be a Lena defender but she is just pure B.S. to me at this point.

  31. Caroline says:

    The cover horrifies me.

  32. Tiffany says:

    Apparently she talk about quiting acting when Girls is done. Let me say that I will not lose sleep with that threat.

  33. Apple Love says:

    Almost on par with the Kardashians for talent-fame ratio. Always thought she was more than a little bit ridiculous in trying to present her nudity as a feminist statement. Is she serious? (yeah) Being fat and proud of it means you’re fat and proud of it. It doesn’t mean you’re feminist! She goes out of her way to degrade her body on her show. I don’t understand why she’s taken even vaguely seriously. She has the cutest voice though. Saw her on David Letterman and she has this cuteness to her voice and face.