entertainment

Meet the actress who doesn't want to be a size 6

 

By NICKY CHAMP.

It’s an easy trap to fall into, wishing you were thinner, had bigger (or smaller) boobs or the body of a supermodel but not so for Lena Dunham.

In an interview with Playboy magazine, the 26-year-old creator and star of HBO series Girls, was asked what she would do if she woke up in the body of a Victoria’s Secret model.

And her answer made us love her even more.

“I’d be really disoriented and wonder what had happened in the night. Which enemy had dragged me to the doctor? I don’t think I’d like it very much,” said Dunham.

“There would be all kinds of weird challenges to deal with that I don’t have to deal with now. I don’t want to go through life wondering if people are talking to me because I have a big rack.

“Not being the babest person in the world creates a nice barrier. The people who talk to you are the people who are interested in you. It must be a big burden in some ways to look that way and be in public. That said, I probably would want to see if I could get free food at restaurants. Then I’d call a doctor and see if she could return me to my former situation,” replied Dunham.

While we’re not surprised Playboy asked Dunham about a body type they promote as conventional, her body and decision to appear in various states of nudity in Girls is a widely discussed one. And one she’s tired of having.

“If I could abolish one question, it would be “Why are you naked on TV so much?” I don’t know. Use your imagination,” said Dunham.

Her show continues to create important discussions; whether it’s about body types, sex or relationships and in a recent interview with CBS, she addressed the opinion editorials her nudity creates.

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“We have this insane culture where women who don’t look like the cast of ‘Gossip Girl’ are put into sweaters and nightgowns to sleep in.

“What I love are the films of the 70s where someone gets out of bed and you see half of their nipple because that’s what it looks like for a person to get out of bed,” she said.

On Girls contributing to the ongoing conversation about feminism: “On Girls I like being a mouthpiece for the issues I think young females face today. It’s always shocking when people question whether it’s a feminist show. How could a show about women exploring women not be? Feminism isn’t a dirty word. It’s not like we’re a deranged group who think women should take over the planet, raise our young on our own and eliminate men from the picture. Feminism is about women having all the rights that men have.”

When in television land anything less than model-thin is considered obese, it’s refreshing to see someone with such influence promoting realism and speaking out about how ridiculous the standard has become.

And just for comparison’s sake we bring you this gallery of shots from Girls and Victoria’s Secret models – the juxtaposition speaks for itself.