One of these women is average. It’s not Taylor Swift.
By ROSIE WATERLAND
Apparently Lena Dunham is fat.
Lena Dunham, the lead actress in hit US TV series Girls, seems to have become some sort of poster-girl for fatties because of her shocking decision to be on television and not look like a model at the same time.
She has a normal body (as in, one you’d see walking down the street, not down the runway), and in TV, anything less than model-thin is considered obese.
Therefore, according to many critics, fans and those who just feel the need to comment, she has become ‘a hero to fat people’.
But she’s not my hero. She’s not my poster-girl. There is no universe in which Lena Dunham should be considered a ‘hero’ for fat people. Because Lena Dunham is not fucking fat. Not even close.
She is my hero in so many other ways. She’s smart, hilarious and talented. She’s achieved the career of my dreams and at 26, she’s less than a month older than me. Girl’s got skill.
But every time I hear her referred to as some sort of ‘champion for big girls’, my heart sinks a little. Because if she’s considered fat – the absolute exception to the rule when it comes to someone being allowed on a TV show that doesn’t have obesity as the running ‘we’re acknowledging the literal elephant in the room’ gag (Mike and Molly, Drop Dead Diva, Fat Actress…) – then we have a pretty messed up perspective of what being ‘fat’ actually means.
Does she look like what 99% of other actresses in the entertainment industry look like? No. She has a healthy body that hasn’t been dieted and toned like her life depends on it. She has flesh that doesn’t display her ribs like they’re some kind of trophy. I completely appreciate how out of place that makes her on television and I think that means we need many more like her.
But fat? No way.
If you want to know what fat actually looks like, it’s me. I’m fat. I am 75kgs overweight. That probably makes me (at least) double the size of the woman I’m supposed to be admiring as someone who has become successful in television ‘in spite of her size’. And let me tell you: that is really depressing.
Lena Dunham: my career hero. Not my fat hero.
I’ve written about how I got to this size and how it affects my life so I won’t go into that here. I am an obese 26-year-old woman; that is my reality at this moment in time.
And as a person who is dealing with the shame, discrimination and feelings of absolute worthlessness that come from actually being obese in a beauty-obsessed society, when I hear people call Lena Dunham fat (even the actress herself jokes about it), I want to scream.
Because being bigger than a supermodel is not the same thing as being fat. Your thighs not being the same width all the way up is not the same thing as being fat. Having love handles is not the same thing as being fat.
To use the word ‘fat’ like it means the same thing as the words ‘not skinny’ is an incredibly dangerous game to play. BECAUSE NOT BEING SKINNY IS NOT THE SAME THING AS BEING FAT.
Not that long ago, when I was a much smaller size, I would have never understood that concept. I was one of the people who thought you were either fat or you were slim. I remember when I first started gaining weight and I hit 80 kilos, I was devastated. I thought I was disgusting. I wouldn’t wear sleeveless tops. I wouldn’t go to the beach. I wouldn’t even let my boyfriend look at my naked body.
That sounds so ridiculous to me now, because actually being fat gives you a realistic perspective. At my current 135kgs, I get so furious at myself for having wasted so much of my time being paranoid about my weight when I was a perfectly normal size.
At this stage, I’d be happy just to be back in double digits; and if I ever got back to 80kgs – a weight where I was once desperately unhappy – I’d be jumping for freakin’ joy.
Imagine your face here! I left the double chin to give you an accurate picture.
Because it takes actually getting fat to realise that there are countless beautiful body shapes in between fat and skinny.
Not being one doesn’t automatically make you the other. But the way people talk about Lena Dunham, it can seem like being one or the other is the only option. She’s not skinny; therefore she’s fat. And it’s that kind of attitude that made Howard Stern refer to seeing Dunham’s naked body as so offensive, he felt like he was being raped. It’s that kind of attitude that makes girls and women with perfectly normal, healthy bodies consider themselves totally unacceptable and worse, unlovable.
So I have a suggestion. And this is coming from someone who’s been on both sides: who felt crappy when she was a healthy weight, and then had the very confronting realisation of what really being fat actually feels like (hint: I cry a lot). Here it is:
Lena in a skit for the 2012 Emmy Awards.
Forget Lena Dunham. Use me as your fat poster-girl, because I’m an example of someone who is actually fat. I’m an example of someone who isn’t just ‘not skinny’ but is actually, literally, morbidly obese.
Every time you feel crappy about yourself, like maybe you should lose a few, imagine your head on my 135kg frame. Hopefully then you’ll look in the mirror and be happy (or at the very least, happier) with what you’ve got.
Do I want to be the poster-girl for fat women? Not really. But I have a ten-year-old niece who is already telling me that her friends skip lunch to lose weight. And in a world where a female’s worth seems almost exclusively reliant on her beauty, and her beauty seems almost exclusively reliant on her size, no wonder they’re confused.
I just hope that if people can picture me as an accurate example of someone who is fat, maybe they’ll start looking at Lena Dunham as an accurate example of someone who is not.
Let her be the poster-girl for wunderkind comedy writers who don’t give two shits about their thighs in a mini-skirt. Let her be the poster-girl for females who don’t think they have a place in television unless they look like… every other female on television.
But please, PLEASE, for the sake of warped body-perceptions of women everywhere, don’t let her be the poster-girl for being fat. Because Lena Dunham IS. NOT. FAT.
Rant over.
This post was originally published on Rosie’s blog. It has been republished here with full permission.
Rosie Waterland is a writer based in Sydney. She finds her own jokes particularly hilarious. You can read her blog here and find her on Twitter here.
Have a look at our gallery of fantastic Lena Dunham photos below:
Lena Dunham at the 70th Annual Golden Globes
Have you watched Girls? What do you think of the public’s perception of Lena Dunham’s body?
Comments
124 Comments so far
The author is right. I used to think I was fat because I didn’t have twigs for legs and I was a size 6. I wanted to be a 0. Then I got up to a 12 and realized how much I wanted to be a 6 again. Women have to understand that being fat is being a size 12+++ not a size 6!!! It’s terrible how rail thin, sickly models and actresses have become the norm. I am not saying there should be no stick thin people. But if someone is not obese and but is still curvy that can be healthy and attractive too. Hollywood needs to accept more sizes. Lena Durham is curvy, not fat!
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Actually she is fat. She has rolls around her stomach, an early indicator for diabetes and heart disease.
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I believe there comes a time that you must accept the hand your dealt with and walk tall. I read somehwere ages ago that comedian oh god I forget her name, Dawn French, there we go hehehe….she said one day she walked out with a mini skirt on and a tight top on her way out as a teen and her dad just looked at her and said that she was the prettiest thing he had ever seen. To me that is the most important thing in the world, strong role models start at home- if you project self confidence and not care what others think- that is attractive, not if your fat, skinny, toned, saggy whatever……
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I’m not sure this really is a body positive article. It seems to me the writer is still ‘down’ on people who she considers fat – herself included. I agree there seems to be an either/or mentality about women’s weight/appearance. Either they are fat or skinny, which is ridiculously reductive and mostly irrelevant. It is interesting that some of the comments allude to weight as a moral issue. Claiming that it’s impossible to tell why a person is overweight just by looking at them seems like a bizarre thing to point out – as if, if they could prove being overweight is not their fault (because they are injured or sick) they are somehow a better person than someon who eats to excess and doesn’t exercise enough. I do agree with the intended message of the article, though. Women who are not ‘skinny’ are not automatically ‘fat’ and therefore must be ‘celebrated’ for their ‘curves’ and whatever a woman’s weight, it is generally more helpful and relevant to focus on what she does rather than what she looks like.
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I too am frustrated with the endless parade of celebrities celebrating their “curves” when they are likely in an underweight category.
This actress is not fat, no. She is normal – she is the kind of person who should be a poster girl for healthy, not just physically, but also emotionally, because she’s probably happier than the skinny chick who spends a lot of time and energy trying to keep herself that way.
The only, only concern that overweight people should have, is how it affects their health, and not their appearance (and it’s still nobody’s business but their own). Why should we even have a poster girl for fat? I think fat has become so much of a derogatory word, that nobody should use it. Fat now carries connotations that the “fat” person should do something to fix their appearance for some benefit to society. And how on earth can we expect people who struggle with their weight, to get to a level of self esteem that might assist them in being healthier, when there are words like ‘fat’ around?
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The bizarre thing is that some people here seem to consider their comments, about Lena being fat or MM being pro-fat for advocating less body-hate, as some sort of gracious public service announcement from the selected magnificent skinny people who have deigned to share their superior opinions on the complex culture of female beauty, talking down to everybody who thinks that settling into their natural (healthy! Health, not appearance, being the most vital part of a discussion about a body) body shape in an ideal BMI range is shameful or worthy of contempt.
There’s nothing wrong with being skinny either! Only in thinking that being skinny makes you a better, wiser, more valid human being than someone who is not.
Before you go assuming anything, I am not fat and I am not thin. I eat healthy, exercise and look like a happy human being.
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I’m a bit sad and shocked with many of the nasty comments below.
What happened to ‘if you don’t have anything nice to say…’
Overweight and obese people would think about their weight everyday. They certainly don’t need people going on about what a burden they are and how they don’t appear sorry enough to be so overweight.
Let’s all be much nicer to one another and love ourselves for who we are.
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Am I the only one finding the word “Fat” more and more offensive? Its become the all encompassing word for people of all stages of overweight. I myself am probably around the same size as Lena. I know for a fact I sit within the “overweight” range on the BMI scale. I’ve probably gone most of my adolescences and early twenties sitting in this weight range. I’ve always acknowledged my weight for what it is, and breathed a sigh of relief that I was never bullied or harrassed about it….. except it seems by me! This is probably my only reason for commenting. Some people can be cruel in the way the use their words about weight issues. I guess deep down I know I am more sensitive to this as an “overweight” woman and so feel a need (probably like a lot of women) to defend Lena, even though she probably doesn’t give a monkey’s about what others say. But can we try and keep it all in perspective? Rosie is right, there is a difference between overweight (like me) and FAT. Let’s not throw everyone under the same banner, and maybe be a little bit more compassionate in our comments. Trust me, overweight people KNOW they’re overweight… even the confident ones. Next time I see myself in the mirror, I might smile instead and give her a bit of a break.
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I’m thinking that getting children ballet lessons really IS a great idea.
I did it (and Tap classes) for about 12yrs and I used to notice how even the “plump” kids would move with more grace.
In my ideal world I’d have primary kids taught dance, self-defence, tai chi and meditation……….AND continue into high school adding driving, cooking and bush skills.
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Fat, not fat. Bah! Who cares.
If we take the gallery as our evidence it is clear that Lena is not happy with her body image. She slumps. On the red carpet she has that ‘definant/embarrased’ posture – straight on to camera, strained smile or pursed lips, hands straight at side. She wears some ugly dresses that do not flatter her shape or colour (Some of those dresses would be ok if she got them tailored – they look all lumpy). Like she’s saying “I’m feeling particularly uncomfortable, but F@#! you guys I’m here”
Beyonce and the Kardashians are hefty ladies. But they know how to stand and look down the barrel of a camera and give the look “I’m awesome and you will all think it of me” – like a commandment. No lumpy clothes for them.
My tip for people who are not comfortable in their body: you can (to some extent) fake it until you make it. Standing well starts from the ground up. Strong legs will help you support you stomach (yes, it might be flabby but you still have abdominal muscles). Turn your hips slightly under (that is don’t arch your back and stick your bum out). Then pull your shoulder blades together and down so your shoulders don’t slump. Finally lengthen your neck (chin slightly down). Stand tall and proud.
Feel better already don’t you?
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Ahhhh, sorry Amanda – Beyonce and the Kardashian’s are anything but “hefty ladies”. They are wicked, hot women. Hefty, certainly not.
Your image conscious response is what feeds these issues we’re talking about. It’s got nothing to do with how you stand, it’s got everything to do with how you feel.
Hefty? Seriously? Rosie O’Donnel is helfty, not Beyonce.
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Oh FFS, when will people realise that just because you’re “fat” (i.e. more than the maximum size 10 you see on telly) doesn’t mean you’re unhealthy and being “thin” doesn’t mean you’re healthy? Health has nothing to do with size. So many previous comments talk about not glorifying “fat” (which, btw, this article DOES NOT do) because it’s unhealthy. The women on TV are healthy, that’s why they’re thin. Bulldust. At my fittest (able to run a 9.2 on the beep test) and skinniest, I was a size 14 and in the ‘over-weight’ range on the BMI scale. Look at someone like Serena Williams. Is she “skinny”? No. Is she unhealthy? No. Size is not an indicator of health. Stop using it hide behind prejudice.
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I don’t care why anyone is overweight – it’s their business. What I care about is the person themselves. How they feel and how I can help if they feel bad. We should all display kindness, good manners and empathy – no matter what a person looks like. There are plenty of fat women who are absolutely, stupendously gorgeous – with a rich, full head of hair and beautiful eyes and skin. More gorgeous than I could ever be as an average sized woman. So leave weight out of it I say. Let people be people and just help where you can to make the world a happier place by being kind to everyone around you
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Ok. Two things.
One- your weight will not be written on your tombstone.
Two- Mia I love that you and your website strive to promote positive body image. When I read an article like this I feel so much better about myself- knowing there are other women having the same mental argument with Lena’s critics. But I question the inclusion of comments. Even with heavy moderation (ha, sounds like an oxymoron!!) the narrow mindedness of people on both sides of this conversation is not going to be entirely helpful after reading that piece. Maybe positive body image articles could do without comments, just to get your message out there. Then they might have the effect you wish for. It’s entirely possible I’m the only one that feels this way, and I know I can skip the comments… Just a thought.
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People see obesity and being overweight in a negative light because, it IS negative. It’s not good to be overweight. And while I appreciate there are those who are comfortable in their skin and okay with their extra weight, should this be something we all aspire to?
I don’t think it makes you any more “woman”. Or any less for that matter.
But all those people out there that think the world are prejudiced against fat people, they aren’t. They just don’t wish to be like you. Which, isn’t a bad thing, is it?
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No one is asking you or anyone else to aspire to being “fat”.
And while the world may not be prejudiced against fat people, there are those that definitely are, and have zero problems with opening showing this prejudice.
Your last paragraph Emma, really could have been worded better. “They just don’t wish to be like you”. There is more to me than just being overweight, but does that matter? Is that all people can see?
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But we aren’t talking about personality, values or morals as person (of which of course defines a person above all other things), we are talking about weight and the undeniable issue that society has with it.
You cannot be offended if people say they do not want to be overweight. Should we all want to be obese because it might make the person standing near us at the bus stop feel better about themselves. That’s not realistic.
If you didn’t identify so much with being overweight (and instead by what’s on the inside, as you clearly want others too), perhaps it would be easier for you to see things more objectively.
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At no point have I ever said that I’m offended because people don’t want to be overweight. Why would you do it on purpose? People ridicule you and insult you on a regular basis without even having to open your mouth. But I think that if someone comes out and says they are happy the way they are, people should just accept it.
I’m just trying to get people to get rid of the prejudice towards fat people. That’s all. Most people just assume all people who are fat because they eat too much and this simply isn’t the case.
I don’t spend my days identifying myself as an overweight person. Being overweight is what I am not WHO I am. And you have to agree Emma that as a human I have a right to defend myself against those who are prejudiced.
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Of course it’s possible to become obese if you eat too much……..
It’s also possible to become obese if you’re suffering from an illness and/or severe pain which prevents you from moving sufficiently enough to burn off enough calories to be thin.
How you can tell the difference between those people beats me.
It seems that some people have an “obesity is ugly & unworthy” agenda and it feeds their egos to be able to say “well at least I’m not fat – I must be such a wonderful, flawless, virtuous person.”
People have always come in different shapes accentuated by their health, lifestyles, heredity and of course the ability to be active.
64 kilos can cause a short girl to look plump and a tall girl look “average” – how they got that way varies from diet to activity to illness or muscle mass.
Thinness doesn’t make people more virtuous, smarter, sophisticated or sexy……….in fact SOME thinness can look almost ghoulish.
I’ve wondered whether or not some people in our society feel awful enough about the excesses and indulgences in the West to starve themselves in sympathy with the millions of poor & starving.
Of course SOME people are quite naturally slender (and everyone knows one don’t they ?) and don’t have to work at it at all……let’s hope THEY’RE not the ones complaining about the obese and their alleged gluttony.
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These posts bring out the best in people don’t they?
Let’s be brutally honest here. People who are prejudiced against “fat” people and use the whole “burden on the medical system” as a way to hide the fact you don’t like the way we look.
I’m overweight but I’m no burden. Nor was my overweight husband, nor any of the other “fat” people I know.
When I was in hospital last year, the people around me were a smoker, who was being threatened with lung cancer, an alcoholic who was given a year to live if he didn’t stop, a guy who overdosed on pain meds, an old lady who had fallen, another person who was coming down off a high (who I swear sounded like a t-rex). I was in for asthma, which I’ve had since a teen.
None of us were there for obesity related issues. So where are these thousands of burdens???
I don’t doubt there are people they do have obesity related health problems, would be ignorant not to, but for the love of god, please stop hiding behind that fact and admit you don’t like our appearance.
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Please don’t tell me what I think. You can’t read my mind, just as I can’t read yours.
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What, so you look at an overweight person and honestly think, “What a burden on our healthcare system?” Really?
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Rosie, if you’re unhappy with your weight then do something to change it.
It is futile to others to change in order to make yourself happy.
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Very clever. I bet she’s never thought of that before!
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Lou,
I’m in no way trying to (force?) others to change in order to make myself happy. I take issue with that, as it’s not something I would ever do. This piece had nothing to do with whether or not I would like to lose weight, nor was it intended to force people to accept that I am a healthy weight, or that one size is better than another.
This piece was about trying to help others who are healthy (but unhappy, because their healthy doesn’t equal the body they want) to be happy with their size, whatever it may be, by providing the perspective of someone who has struggled with actually being very big (not just big compared to others on television, which is what I consider Lena to be).
I have no problem with the size of any person – skinny, big or in between. We should aim for health (mental and physical) above all else, but a popular concept that worries me is that healthy always equals slim. That is simply not the case. All I hoped to do here was encourage others who are healthy but still unhappy to really question where the negative perceptions about their bodies are actually coming from (TV for starters), and maybe end up having a little compassion for themselves in the process.
I hated myself when I was in ‘the healthy weight range’ because I never felt good enough. I just don’t want others to waste their time being miserable doing the same thing, and because becoming obese has helped me realise how skewed my perception was back then, I thought it may be helpful to provide that insight.
I may have used myself as an example, but this was not about me. This was about trying to help others go a little easier on themselves.
I hope I’ve done that for some people at least.
Rosie
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Yes, the answer to bullying is always to change to suit the bully. That’ll fix it!
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I think she’s fat but maybe that’s because I have a widescreen tv?
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For whatever reason actresses are thin, I am guessing for the most part they eat relatively healthily and exercise. This is actually a good role model. (Model thin is another matter)
I think we need to stop looking at the film industry and media to blame for all our woes and start looking around your local community. Obese is the norm! Young people (and I’m talking about mid teens to 40 years old) are not just fat but obese in large numbers. Something is wrong.
This didn’t used to be the case, so why is it now? So many excuses. People are at 18 at a weight that it used to take 30 years to accumulate. Their metabolisms are already broken. We need to radically look at the standard diet and fix it.
Lena is overweight but not drastically so, and the author (as she admitted) is obese. No point in trying to be PC. We need to stop saying that being obese is OK, that it’s just another normal. It is not!
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Lena would fit into healthy weight im pretty sure… Apparently she’s only 64 kg. Also those girls on tv (the slim ones) look healthy slim, but as someone who works in the industry, I can promise you they are so skeletal! The tv adds pounds so they look healthier than they are. Lena is healthy, its the tv adding weight and her not caring!
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that sounds very dubious…
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Fabulous article!
I too was gobsmacked to read all this ‘fat talk’ about Lena..she (according to one of the episodes where the character references her weight) is under 64 kilos..and although she is short she would definitely be within the healthy range.
I recently bought the GIRLS dvd and loved it so much I stayed up until 3am watching all 10 episodes.. It is SO good, so clever, and just ridiculously hilarious! People should be gobsmacked about Lena… about her achievements at such a young age, about her abundant talent and hilarious writing and NOT because she is a healthy weight as opposed to being stick thin.
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She’s just so bloody awesome because she’s just so bloody real. I feel like she’s exhaled for me and maybe imperfect cold be considered beautiful again.
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It is refreshing to see an average looking woman headlining a show for a change, instead of these stunning actresses that are usually the norm. Definitely more relatable
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Lena Dunham seems to be a short, stocky girl and it certainly hasn’t stopped her from being a high achiever in her profession.
While she’s busy working to provide for the roof over her head in her old age, she’s having the last laugh at those collagen-enhanced “lollipop heads” in Hollywood.
Slowly, slowly there’s a trend towards casting “real-looking” guys in films & shows – why not girls too ?
I’d LOVE to see an ordinary girl cast in a story where she was genuinely loved by one of the romantic male leads around today………..I’m betting that it would be such a hit – it HAS to be great writing though.
They could cast me & George maybe ?……..or Antonio ……..or Ben….. or Aidan……..or Jeremy………or Robert Downy Jr ……..or the dude who played THOR ………or ………
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Ummm…anyone else notice the ads for light and easy at the bottom of the page….how ironic!!!! I’ve been thin chubby fat and now I am at peace being myself because being obsessed about weight robs you of life and joy.
I bet your partners love and accept you however you see or feel about yourself. Wear clothes that make you feel good about yourself, instead of lamenting about fashion. Hollywood is not reality, they do not live the 9-5 reality that we do so embrace who you are, what you have and be happy. Acceptance starts with the man / woman in the mirror.
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Oh come on. She is overweight, or fat, or whatever the correct word is. She may be also average weight, but we all know that what is average nowadays is not healthy. She may be successful, and beautiful and smart, and be happy with her body and health. That’s cool with me. But just because you are even bigger, doesn’t mean we should all be happy being overweight and unhealthy, even if that is todays norm. And why has Mamamia become so obsessed with supporting and defending overweight people?
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I ask the same question about MM. Why the obsession with making fat something other than what it is? It’s Mia who promotes positive body image. Has she become mentally unbalanced in doing so? Three posts of mine on this article have not been published. All contained the word ‘gluttony’. Is this word now deleted from Mia’s dictionary?
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Sonic, if you’re looking for a clue as to why some of your comments haven’t been published, take a look at your language and re-read our dinner party commenting rules.
As a thin person – as you describe yourself – you have no shortage of depictions of your type of body in the media. In fact, everywhere you look, there you are.
Mamamia is a supporter of diversity and a longstanding champion and campaigner for more diversity in the media.
This post is a proud example of that.
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I respect that Mia, BUT diversity (in this context) does not always mean healthier, and that is what concerns me.
Mamamia should be a promoter of a healthy, balanced lifestyle (of which weight management is a big part). You have a social responsibility to send the right message, and I don’t think acceptance of obesity is that responsible message.
And I am not saying Lena is overweight either. I don’t believe she is at all.
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Emma, where has Mamamia promoted or accepted obesity here? The article is about Lena Dunham, who you said yourself you do not think is overweight.
The author referred to herself as a more realistic example of someone who is fat, and I think it was pretty obvious she thought her obesity was a negative.
Mamamia have not promoted obesity as a positive thing here. There’s not one positive word about obesity in the whole article.
I think Lena Dunham being on television is the diversity in the media that Mia was referring to, and that has nothing to do with accepting obesity.
A little confused as to where you got that from, because it certainly wasn’t in this article.
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Oh come on. She’s 5’3 and weighs 64 kg which is just ONE point above a normal BMI meaning she is overweight by an incredibly tiny bit. Being very, very slightly overweight is not going to compromise your health in any way unless you have smoking or drink problems or eat horribly. I’ve known lots of people like Lena who are a lot healthier and live longer than those super skinny people.
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She looks fairly normal to me! But I think her hair colour is not the most flattering for her skin tone.
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Absolutely loved this Rosie, you have a beautiful way with words. Interesting to see how our overexposure to celebrities toned to within an inch of their lives has distored how we perceive an everyday shaped woman in the same industry.
It saddens me that a womans shape on the spectrum from waif thin to obese has become something that seems to bear so much weight on how we are perceived. Why do we even need to keep nit picking womens bodies? We are wasting years of our lives obsessing over so called imperfections. Why is Lena’s weight even such a big deal? We would never see this kind of scrutiny with a male actor slightly larger than the Hollywood mould!!
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Absolutely loved this Rosie, you have a beautiful way with words. Interesting to see how are overexposure to celebrities toned to within an inch of their lives has distored how we perceive an everyday shaped woman in the same industry.
It saddens me that a womans shape on the spectrum from waif thin to obese has become something that seems to bear so much weight on how we are perceived. Why do we even need to keep nit picking womens bodies? We are wasting years of our lives obsessing over so called imperfections. Why is Lena’s weight even such a big deal? We would never see this kind of scrutiny with a male actor slightly larger than the Hollywood mould!! As long as we are healthy that should be all that matters!
For the record I think the word ‘fat’ bears negative connotations in this day and age and has lost its true meaning.
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I don’t think there’s much point commenting on her weight as Lena will be the size she wants to be – but I can’t help but say that picture makes me feel ill – skit or not! Food on the toilet gross!
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I just think she is normal. But what is more of a concern- I seem to be the only person in the world who doesn’t love Girls. I actually find it kind of annoying, What is wrong with me?
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Why is her body “normal” ? So I am slim and small does that make me abnormal? Can we please stop this ?
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I’m slender too. Carry absolutely no body fat. I’m now abnormal. I regard Mia as responsible for perpetuating my abnormality, since it is she who promotes positive body image. I agree. Can this please be stopped and these articles promoting the accumulation of fat in body tissue as agreeable discontinued? It does nothing towards promoting a positive image for MM itself. Mia?
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There is no person on earth who has no body fat unless they are dead. Even elite athletes carry a small percentage. Before you start getting on your soapbox, how about checking your facts first.
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Maybe people think Lena`s fat because TV does tend to make people look bigger. I know when I`ve seen some TV stars in real life I am shocked by how much smaller they are in person.
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I would argue it’s about the side-by-side comparison. When I look in the mirror, I’m pretty satisfied with my body. When I’m standing next to one of my skinny friends and I catch our reflection, suddenly I look like a goddamn land whale. So, while Lena is decided NOT fat, she’s not as skinny as almost every other girl in the spotlight, so by comparison she looks big. She’s not, everyone else is ridiculously small.
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Love this post! You are right. She is not fat!
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Agree.
She is about as fat as she is attractive. She works great for the show as she epitomises the normal, plain woman that makes up the majority of society.
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Why should we be debating anyone’s looks?
It seems everyone thinks they have a right to weigh in, excuse the pun, on weight and size.
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Good point. It’s no one’s business really.
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I love Lena and I love girls ! After she won a goldie I was reading a daily mail article where people were ripping her apart, saying she didn’t deserve it and fat people shouldn’t be on TV. It’s so disappointing that not one person mentioned that she’s written as acted in two short films and now her own series, that she is an accomplished writer and she’s only 26. She isn’t fat, but even if she was, who gives a toss? This young woman has achieved more than what most 26-year- olds have and it pissed me off that instead of focussing on her talent people are concerned about her looks. Plus, if she is fat, who the hell cares? It’s her issue, not ours! I personally think she’s absolutely stunning and one of the brightest stars I’ve ever seen. To all the haters, at least She’s someone who got into Hollywood because of her talent, not leaked sex tapes and drop dead gorgeous faces. I love you Lena!
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Let’s be honest: She’s overweight and her health would improve with losing a few. Why are we so precious about weight all the time?
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How do you know that she would be healthier? There are lots of different ways to lose weight, and not all of them make you healthier.
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You can’t tell the state of someone’s health simply by looking at them and the latest studies show that being slighly overweight, as Lena appears to be is actually the healthiest state to be in.
http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/health-fitness/could-being-fat-make-you-live-longer/story-fneuz9ev-1226546519480
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Someone get this woman a stylist because at the minute she does look frumpy and … fat
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I think she’s pretty, but she is fat. Just because something is “average”, doesn’t mean it should be necessarily acceptable.
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Can’t look through the gallery, but I had a google and I looked at pics of her, and she’s not fat. She’s not super skinny, but she’s not fat.
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‘Fat’ is an emotive word used by ignorant, insensitive people to try and put others in their place.
It is a word that can stop you in your tracks, make you want to give up, end friendships.
It is a word that is actually meaningless, as there is no weight guide that tells you what ‘fat’ actually means.
It is all, unfortunately, in the eye of the beholder.
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Fat has a medical/scientific meaning and it is what accumulates in your body tissues when you eat so much you can’t process it or eliminate it or when for some pathological reason your body refuses to process it. Simple, MikeyMike. It’s got nothing to do with your emotions or anything else.
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Oh come one. Fat is used as an insult, it’s not just a medical word. There are a lot of emotions attached to the word fat for most people in the world.
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How would you like it if I called you “stupid” for not realizing the very obvious ways in which the word “healthy” is used to further discriminate against people who don’t look like the media-constructed norm? Duh…..
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Its not unreasonable for people to look at someone of Lena’s size and judge her weight, when EVERY women’s magazine and website (including Mammamia) put such emphasis on diet and image.
We are surrounded by conflicting opinion on this, day in day out, and this is why we are all so obsessed with each others appearance!!!
I’d love to read more articles that focus on health and fitness without the subtext of being model-thin as the end goal.
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Couldn’t agree more!!
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No Lena Dunham is not fat. She has just not dieted her genetic body shape into submission. And she doesn’t care. A lot of us could take some cues from her, I think.
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She is a beautiful girl but to be brutally honest, she is a little fat. But then again isn’t that the whole point?
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So, it’s not possible that you’re just SOOOO used to seeing ultra-skinny bodies that Lena seems “fat” to you in comparison? Hmm? Because take a look around your classroom or workplace, and you’ll realize most folks are Lena’s size or larger.
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I can not put into words how much i LLLLLOOOOOVVVVEEEE every single article I read by this writer! Rosie your so talented and I just can’t get enough of you! I know it sounds crazy but I feel like i know you through your writing! Your the best friend I always wanted! Get pulling them out Rosie!
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Sorry but she is fat!
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10 out of 10 for that one Jess. She obviously eats too much!
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Lena Dunham is a sexy, sassy, clever writer and I have NO idea why people are so preoccupied with how she looks. In fact, I haven’t read a single article about her anywhere that does not mention her ‘ordinary’ looks or larger-than-average-TV-actress weight — and it makes me queasy.
She and Christina Hendricks should team up to shame Hollywood.
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Totally agree. Imagine if Seth Rogen (or any other overweight male actor) had the same level of critique about his body as Lena Dunham gets. (And, yes, I know he has had *some* talk about his weight, but it seems to be all positive, and didn’t seem to be mentioned much before he started losing it.)
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Lena’s weight is a big part of her show, and it’s something she’s written about and talked about a lot. People are just following her lead.
Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill etc. don’t engage in talk about their weight, so there’s nothing for gossip hounds o talk about.
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I totally disagree. The entire premise of Knocked Up was that Katherine’s character got knocked up by *ewwwwww* a fat, slobby guy. His weight was a huge feature of the movie – it was just never an issue in hollywood, because guys are allowed to be fat.
Meanwhile, the show is about the girls’ lives – their relationships, being poor, having sex, getting pregnant, etc etc. Lena is constantly naked, and never in a “ohh I’m embarrassed, let me cover up because I’m fat!” way – but in an unselfconscious way, which implies her weight isn’t a problem.
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Was it though? There was a big deal about him being a conehead, and lazy, and broke, but his size? And there was also quite an emphasis on his good qualities too, which weren’t automatically apparent to Katherine’s character, but were to others.
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Beautiful, it is like you read my mind and wrote it all down. I am constantly shocked at how women are judged on their physical form alone. I also cant believe how small the definition of beauty is in our culture.
When did it become ok to be SO openly cruel to another human?
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How is she “not even close” to fat? She looks overweight to me and probably isn’t within a healthy weight range for her height. Meanwhile, 75kg’s overweight isn’t fat, it is obese. I’m not saying this to be cruel but to give a reality check. It doesn’t help our country’s already existing issue with obesity by praising women with high BMI’s as “goddesses” – she is gorgeous and funny but let’s face it, she is overweight.
Meanwhile yes, many celebrities are underweight and this poses equal health risks. It’s very hard to maintain a balance but many women do it.
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Exactly what I was thinking Zoe. Well said. We have a VERY serious obesity epidemic in Australia. Our hospitals are choking under the literal weight of people that refuse to take proper care of themselves. I pay a huge amount in personal and business tax and think it’s incredibly unfair that such a large percentage of our hard earned tax dollars are being directed to the health care system to pay for services for illnesses that are AVOIDABLE such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attacks, stroke etc. I don’t get a rebate for being healthy, eating properly and avoiding junk food, exercising, meditating and generally keeping a high level of health as my priority. Spend time in any emergency centre at our hospitals and you’ll see the impact of the fast food lifestyles that so many Australians have adopted.
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What does this have to do with anything Rosie has written in this article? I suggest you re-read it. She’s not saying obesity is not a problem she just saying Len Dunham is NOT fat. Do you look at Len Dunham and think she at risk of having a heart attack? If you do then I’d say it’s this type of mess-up mentality that you’ve shown that Rosie is writing about in this article. If my daughter was the size of Lena Dunham and thought she was OBESE or in fact FAT, I’d be extremely worried, it would literally break my heart. Lets go back to the Marilyn days where Lady’s with curves were not a turn off or cause for ridicule! Woman of all sizes should be seen as beautiful. Size does NOT exclusively determine HEALTH!
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Thanks for that one FED UP. I think people eat too much. I see a lot of gluttony these days. I see people who already carry a high percentage of body fat eating very large quantities of food. We can live on a very small quantity of the right kind of foods, and it is cleansing to fast regularly. All this was always known. I’m genuinely mystified about how it got forgotten.
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* Meanwhile, 75kg’s (sic) isn’t fat, it is obese.*
Do you really think the author doesn’t know this? She actually states in the article that she is obese. Comments like this are just unhelpful.
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My thoughts exactly. I really don’t think she needs a ‘reality check’. She knows her weight. She’s very aware of it. I think she could do without that kind of patronising statement. She’ll deal with it when she’s ready to, not because these sort of comments are encouraging (they are just the opposite) but because it’s the right time for her.
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Is anyone else freaking out over the eating on the toilet or am I just a nut? I hate toilets. Mix with food? I die.
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It’s from a sketch she did for the Emmy’s.
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Lena is not fat. But she doesn’t dress well for her body. On the show, in everyday life from pics i’ve seen and at awards. Her unattractive tattoos don’t do her any favours either (I’m not anti tattoo, I have four myself). They will detract from any formal wear she will ever wear unfortunately. Also, her Golden Globe attempt at walking in heels was embarrassing. My partner asked me what was wrong with her, he thought she had something medically wrong. If you can’t wear heels, wear flats. It’s not like it was a short dress.
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That was my impression too. She is probably really only out of shape and maybe has a BMI a bit over the healthy weight range, but what highlights it is that she doesn’t really dress well for her shape/size. Don’t know if I like her haircut either. There are some lovely short haircuts, but not sure she’s nailed it. This makes me feel bitchy, but I guess when your photo’s out there in the public domain, people will talk about your appearance.
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I wouldn’t call her fat. I hate that word. It’s so negative and I cringe every time I hear it.
Lena Dunham isn’t “fat” but she doesn’t look healthy. She is clearly overweight. But she does look happy! She looks comfortable in her body so hooray for her.
I’m sick of the skinny/average/overweight argument. I’m sick of social media bringing it up time and time again. In this world there are skinny women, overweight women and everything in between. Who’s to say what is right and what is wrong? It’s never going to change.
Why should someone be made to feel bad so someone else can feel good about themselves? Why should a skinny woman be made to feel bad so someone who is overweight can feel good? This just doesn’t make sense to me.
There would be outrage if someone who was skinny publicly shamed a overweight person but why is it acceptable that a overweight person shames a skinny person? It isn’t. It’s offensive.
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Where has Rosie ‘publicly shamed’ a thin person? She doesn’t say anything negative about thin people in the entire piece. Where does she ‘make thin people feel bad so an overweight people can feel good?’ That has nothing to do with what this article is about. In fact, the only person she really talks negatively about is herself (and Howard Stern obviously). It seems like you maybe need to read the article again.
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It seems I do hey. I may have got a bit carried away and off topic. I sincerely apologise.
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People publicly shame fat people all the time.
I am fat. I have people refuse to sit next to me on trains, lest I touch them. I have people yell at me to lose weight when I’m walking down the street. I have people comment “fat arse”, “fat lard”, “fat “, to my face as I’m going about my daily business, from total strangers. I have people ask me if I really should be eating the salad wraps I’m eating for lunch. I even have people fat shame me when I’m in the gym, working out – telling me that I couldn’t possibly be working out, because I’m fat, and I should give my equipment/spot in the class to them because they deserve it.
I get fat shamed everywhere, all the time. Don’t try to tell me that there’d be an outrange if a fat person was publicly shamed, because it just is not true.
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