Photo credit: david_shankbone via Foter.com / CC BY
I don’t think I’ve ever seen any of Lena Dunhams’ work. I know she’s the creator of the HBO show “Girls” and I’ve heard mixed things about it, so I’ve never taken the time to watch any of it. I can’t say the concept or any of the trailers I’ve seen hold much interest for me.
But when her book came out it got rave reviews and I was too intrigued by the title to pass it up. So I got the audiobook from the library and listened to it while walking about town and doing things around the house.
It is really good, but I wonder why she decided to open the book with how she lost her virginity and her various sexual exploits since then. Call me old fashioned, but I like to get to know a girl a little first before hearing about all the places her vagina has been.
Maybe Dunham assumes I already know a little about her, what with her being such a public figure and all. I had heard of her, but without having watched any of her show, I can’t say I knew much of anything about her. So that first chapter was kind of, “Oh, so we’re just jumping right into this aren’t we? OK, then.” All I can say about that chapter is it assured me I’m not missing out on anything.
What I did like about that section was her talk of bed sharing. I’ve never shared a bed with a family member, other than when we’re traveling and short on beds, but I did do some bed sharing with my boyfriend in college and it was awesome, so I was totally on the same page as Dunham for that whole section of the book.
After that she went on to talk frankly about some of her physical and mental struggles, including how to gain weight while eating nothing but health food (which I can also relate to).
My favorite part is where she goes from talking about her first post-college dead-end jobs to where she is now. I love hearing these stories from celebrities because I find them to be so inspiring. I hated my first job out of college and it reassures me to hear that super successful people often started out in similar places. From there, it’s pretty much up to you to get yourself out of there.
The last section focused on the things men in Hollywood have told Dunham and her utter refusal to be anyone’s sidekick or protegé and I love her for saying that. The comments she’s received from these men (which her friend dubbed “Sunshine Killers”) is both laughable and disgusting at the same time. I can only hope more people like Dunham will come along and that the Sunshine Killers will be wise enough to see what they’re doing all on their own, without a man’s help, and stop being such pricks.
To me, the saddest part was when Dunham said she sometimes pictures all these men at a big table talking about her. It was amusing to hear her assumptions of what they’re saying about her, but it was also sad to hear that she’s wasting mental energy on these losers. I hope she learns to drop that bad habit.
What did you guys read/listen to this week? Anything that was totally new to you? I want to hear all about it!