Girls (Lena Dunham)

[BriceNobeslovesMurielHeslop]

I am just starting to watch Girls for the second time and am struck by how women centred it is. I know that some people have a negative opinion about Lena Dunham but to me it’s genuinely groundbreaking at how unflinching it is in its portrayal of the worries I and my (white, reasonably financially comfortable) friends had in our early twenties.

My fave comfort show is SATC which is certainly problematic by modern feminist standards (although I would argue it was pretty groundbreaking having messy women making bad decisions carrying a show), so I sort of rejected Girls when it first came out ( it’s pretty scathing about SATC), but I just think it’s fabulous. This isn’t meant to be a serious discussion, I’ve had a couple of glasses of wine and just wondered if any other posters had thoughts.

I think I agree with what you said.but need to watch Girls again. Where are you watching it please.?

It’s part of my Sky package - I think it’s on Sky Comedy but I can stream it through my telly. It might be on Now TV if you have that.

I agree. Girls is brave and vulnerable in a way that SATC wasn’t able to be, though I believe Carrie & co started the conversation. Girls can make you squirm with the sheer unflinching realism it proffers up.. and really that’s the force that is Lena Dunham. Who incidentally seems a foil to Carrie Bradshaw. A few margaritas down myself so it’s all good in my book

Ooh! If I had margaritas I would prefer them!
I’m just at the “diary- open mic night” scene and it is dreadful. So reminiscent of scenes from my youth where a man has behaved badly “in the name of love” and turns it around on the women around him. And Hannah’s eyebrows! It is so insightful and funny. I have a theory that Lena Dunham was cancelled because of how scorching this show was (and her unapologetic nakedness throughout) - if I’d watched this at 23 it would have woken me up to a few things! It did at 41!

LD was 26! 26 years old when she made this. What a hero.

Are you watching Too Much? The new LD series? I like it I think

I haven’t watched it yet but it’s on my list- I’m glad to hear someone’s enjoying it, I had heard some bad reviews, although I don’t really pay attention to reviews nowadays

Yeah it’s good. Better than a lot of the dross people get excited about on Netflix.

I found too much from a mention on mumsnet, and so glad I did. She’s brilliant, it’s very well scripted.

Loved it. Maybe a bit OTT for me on the explicit sex. But I really loved the honesty. It made me feel human as a woman somehow. I wonder if there are any shows about ‘boys’ or men like this. Shows that communicate the male experience in this demographic in an equally honest, raw way. I feel like she portrays men quite well too. Lena Dunham did a very cool thing with Girls. Good on her.

I adored Girls, it was released when I was pretty much the same age as the cast. I just resonated with the characters so much. I've also read Lena's book and experienced the same.

I've just finished Too Much and was pretty disappointed, I think that's down to me expecting Girls grown up!

I found the main actress terrible, it felt like a characheteur as she was so OTT.

SPOILER ALERT.

But both sisters taking back men who have cheated/left for other people was pretty disappointing. Although thinking about it, i have so many friends who have done this so maybe it's just realistic which I think Dunham is pretty prolific for. The scene where Lena is crying in bed and her mum comes in is just so real and raw and I just wish she had gotten a better ending.