Lena Dunham Is Right: Thinness Doesn’t Equal Health And Happiness

Girls’ Lena Dunham has had a lot to celebrate this month - her marriage to musician Luis Felber in London, where shared fun and happiness with her nearest and dearest on a day filled with love.

But despite that joy, she experienced trolls rearing their heads, sticking in their noses where not ever needed, and making the lowest common denominator jibes about her weight. And Lena was having none of it, asking why being ‘thin’ is often inextricably linked with being happy?

Just days after we were all, as a nation, collectively shamed if we couldn’t fit into the jeans we wore at age 21, Lena revealed she had no time for any negative discourse surrounding her body - she’s, quite rightly, in a good place right now. And quite rightly so. Change is happy, healthy and more than okay.

“One narrative I take issue with, largely because it's a story I don't want other women, other people, to get lodged in their heads is that I should somehow be ashamed because my body has changed since I was last on television,” she wrote on Instagram.

“Firstly "did Lena eat the cast of Girls" just isn't a very good joke- I could punch that up for the Tweeter. Secondly, it's ironic to have my body compared to a body that was also the subject of public scorn- an echo chamber of body shaming.

“But lastly, when will we learn to stop equating thinness with health/happiness? Of course weight loss can be the result of positive change in habits, but guess what? So can weight gain. The pics I’m being compared to are from when I was in active addiction with undiagnosed illness. In the 4 years since I've gotten sober and begun my life as someone who aspires toward health and not just achievement.”

She then detailed how changing had made her a better sister, friend and daughter - and revealed that her husband “didn’t recognise” her in those old photos “because he sees how dimmed my light was”.

Lena continued: “I say this for any other person whose appearance has been changed with time, illness or circumstance-it's okay to live in your present body without treating it as transitional. I am, and I'm really enjoying it.”

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it's that life has plenty of change in store for all of us - and looks like Lena is nailing it.