Lena Dunham Just Shut Down Body Shamers Criticizing Her Appearance

Lena Dunham wants to make a message clear: Thin doesn’t always equate to healthy and happy. On Wednesday, the newly married star shared a poignant post on Instagram, responding to some negative body shaming comments thrown her way. In it, she reveals that when she was her thinnest, she was also incredibly sick. And, since gaining weight, she is happier than ever.

“This past week was lovely for so many reasons. Firstly, I got married. My husband and I traveled to the country and looked at bee hives & fields of wildflowers. I got to feel the intense love of my friends/family surrounding us. I got a little break from work, which reminded me how much I love what I do and how excited I am to share what I've been making with you in 2022,” she started the lengthy post. “I say this because over the years, I've shared many challenges with you and these moments of joy had me thinking that we should admit when we’re happy too- it's not a crime.”

All of the warmth and love made her feel as though she could read the comments, something she generally doesn’t do anymore, and was saddened to find some body-shaming digs. “But all of this safety made me forget, for a moment, why I’ve created such intense boundaries with the internet over the past few years. It's a little too easy to feel the glow of support and forget about the cesspool lurking behind it- so I took a peek, and saw some gnarly shit, most not worth responding to or even sharing with you,” she wrote.

“But 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 continued. “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?”

Lena, who is now sober, pointed out that when she was at her thinnest, she was in the midst of her addiction issues. “Of course weight loss can be the result of positive change in habits, but guess what? So can weight gain,” she pointed out. “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. These changes have allowed me to be the kind of sister/friend/daughter that I want to be and yes- meet my husband (who, by the way, doesn't recognize me in those old photos because he sees how dimmed my light was.)

She then explained that she shared the message in hopes that others could find some wisdom in it. “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. Love you all.”