I know, I’ve been on the warpath lately. But I can’t help it - not letting your voice be heard is, in my opinion, a huge waste. This week, I’d like to bring something up that’s been bothering me for a while, and that’s recently been in headlines again - Lena Dunham, who, as far as I’m concerned, should be ousted from television and social media forever.
I’m a feminist. I’ll tell it to anyone who asks. Part of feminism (okay, all of it) is treating everyone, no matter what race, age, gender, ability, etc., equally, so generally I try to hold back from criticizing other women, particularly those who also proclaim themselves to be feminists. However, Lena Dunham’s particular brand of feminism isn’t feminism at all, and it’s time to stop accepting that it is. In fact, she’s racist, homophobic, sexist, and (how have we forgotten this?) has very literally admitted to sexually abusing her infant sister as a child. Not convinced yet? Here are a few (just a few - there are so many more) of the things we’ve sat back and accepted while still hailing Ms. Dunham as the Savior of Modern Feminism (can you tell I’m a little bitter about this?).
That one time she visited India and had this to say:
“I sympathized more the stray dogs I saw than the poverty-stricken people.”
“We do a really good job in this country of basically sealing off sick people and sealing off toilets and sealing off everything that lets us know we’re animals. And in India not only do they not do that, there’s no interest in doing that.”
“I hated India. I know you are not allowed to hate India. But I did. I wasn’t happy. And I felt crazy. I am a hypochondriac. I saw too many puppies that I thought needed me. So many moms and I got in a big fight and I left India. Early.”
I have a lot of questions about this, especially as a missions worker in India, but honestly, this kind of speaks for itself. These are stupid things to say regardless of the speaker, but for someone so widely viewed in the public eye to come out in an interview (with Rolling Stone, nonetheless) and say something so ignorant is pretty unacceptable.
That time she went to Japan and wrote the World’s Most Orientalist Essay:
“Yellowish Fever: I know I said I could never imagine a Japanese affair, but I’ve changed my mind. Kazu, the art handler hanging my mom’s show, is gorgeous like the strong, sexy, dreadlocked Mongol in 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' (causing my sister to email the instruction: “Yeah, girl. crouch that tiger, hide that dragon. P.S. That’s a Chinese movie”)”
“Sometimes, when you’ve been in Japan for ten days, you start to get a little funny… You will start bowing to people who hold open a door or sell you a honeydew yogurt or inform you that there are fish flakes on some crackers you’re not sure you want. You will flash a peace sign and assume a pigeon toed stance whenever someone aims a camera at you.”
"Japanese people look so young — fourteen year olds in ill-fitting suits. What kind of business could they all be doing? When they cross the street it looks like a music video, or the cover of Abbey Road. They are so orderly and leave a foot of space between themselves and the next office escapee.”
Imagine being this racist. Fact: I read this essay all the way through. Another fact: there were about 10 more quotes like this, with varying degrees of offensive content. Why is this person famous, again?
This blatantly homophobic gem:
“I want to date a male flight attendant. Everyone I’ve slept with is gay anyway.”
Hilarious! Topical! Offensive! Just what we’ve come to expect at this point, honestly.
This:
“The vet was a young, sweet man. Definitely Jewish, which is something I care about only in times of crisis.”
Remember when I said feminism was about treating everyone equally? Where did that sentiment get lost here?
Guys, I’m confused. I didn’t even have to try hard to find these quotes - she’s a prolific writer, and manages to pen something offensive every time she tweets, writes an essay, or creates a show on HBO. Seriously - it’s time to stop.
