In her interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Lena Dunham reveals 10 things that we never knew about her, and some thing that we always suspected (she loves napping. Us too, Lena, us too).
1 | Her mother and siblings are her biggest inspirations
‘My mother Laurie Simmons has always inspired me to be daring, whether it’s the way she expresses herself through her art or through her feminism, and my sibling Grace Dunham who is a radical queer woman. I’m inspired by women who redefine the idea of what a woman can be, and say no when they’re faced with bullshit.’
2 | She hates unwarranted advice
‘I can’t handle when older men that I don’t know at all give me a lot of ‘advice.’ Like, ‘you should really take care of yourself because your career’s a long road.’ And I’m like ‘Thank you so much, I didn’t know. I thought I’d do this for a couple months and then go and pop out a few children.’
3 | She’s not trying to be the voice of her generation
‘I never claimed to be that voice, except once in character as a joke, when my character was stoned.’
4 | She launched Lenny Letter for women with style and substance
‘There were all these incredible young women there—radical, smart. I felt like there should be a space for these girls who care just as much about politics as about how to color their hair pink or whatever. Our grand ambition is to really becomes a safe place for women on the Internet that's funny and not snarky.’
5 | Lenny Letter will not have a comments section
‘There's no shortage of stories of how Twitter and Instagram and Facebook, these incredible tools for self-expression, have also led to girls feeling ostracized, alone, slut-shamed. We want to restore some semblance to safety.’
6 | She wrote her third grade paper on Hillary Clinton
‘I can say passionately that I think Hillary Clinton should be our next president. I believe in her skill, I believe in her expertise, and, yes, I want a female president. But that's not random. I mean, I wrote my third-grade end-of-the-year paper on Hillary Clinton. So I've clearly been in it for the long haul.’
7 | Her average day, described by boyfriend Jack Antonoff, is pretty much what we expected
‘Set an alarm for 7. Hit snooze until 9:45 or 10. Go to work. Have a major physical issue that sends her home from work, potentially an hour later. Take a nap, go back to work. Have lunch with a friend, enjoying another nap. Quick visit to the hospital, pick up the dog, meet me for dinner, write all night.’
8 | She disapproves of 70s fashion fads
‘I can’t handle a gaucho pant.’
Words: Radhika Seth
