By Maddie Allard
IG: @bad__elyn
Writing that made my skin crawl. I’m not proud of the fact that I have anything whatsoever in common with someone as terrible as Lena Dunham. But she is the perfect representative of white female feminists everywhere.
White feminism is an epidemic that as white women, we must acknowledge we suffer from. Our version of feminism is safe, a role we can easily put on and remove when it is convenient for us. We march on Washington but keep our mouths shut at the dinner table. We wear t-shirts about being strong women but turn a blind eye to things that make us uncomfortable. We put our feet in our mouth but suffer no repercussions because of our privilege.
Who does this sound like? Miley Cyrus? Taylor Swift? Yes. The difference between them and Lena Dunham? They know when to shut the fuck up and hide behind all their money.
Lena Dunham is that college girl who makes racist remarks about her Japanese boyfriend. It’s okay though; she’s not racist because she loves him.
Lena Dunham is the girl who you think is your best friend until that night you get blackout drunk and end up being raped. Then she gets really weird around you and tells you that you need to drop the charges because you actually wanted it.
Like most white female feminists, she only cares about social justice when it’s convenient for her. When it works for her personal brand and helps get her the attention she is always striving for. Let’s be real; she wouldn’t seem so ugly if she were actually a good person.
So why is this relevant? Why do we care that Lena Dunham is the voice of the white female millennial generation? Because now is the time to change things. Feet in the mouth isn’t cute anymore. Microaggressions are no longer excusable. Claiming to support all women who come forward about their sexual assault, and then changing your tune when it’s a friend who’s being accused isn’t forgivable.
We are in a time of change, but we can only change if we acknowledge that we are part of the problem. We all have an inner Lena Dunham that we need to punch in the face and then educate. So today, and every day from now on, think of your most Lena moments and figure out how to not repeat those actions.
Then, hopefully, we can look back and say that maybe Lena was the voice of our generation at one point, but then we found someone better.
Image provided by the author.
