On January 12th, the latest season of Girls premiered. For those of you unfamiliar with the show, it’s a program focused on four friends in their twenty-somethings living in New York City. Since the show’s premier in 2012 it has faced some criticism for its seemingly excessive nudity. The main character, Hannah Horvath, played by Lena Dunham, is naked in many episodes. The issue of nudity has also become a discussion because Dunham does not have what one might call the “ideal” body. While some have found her pride and confidence to be inspiring and refreshing others have deemed it vulgar.
The topic became particularly heated during a panel discussion with actors and producers from Girls at the Television Critics Association winter press tour. One reporter, Tim Molloy from The Wrap, stated “I don’t get the purpose of all of the nudity on the show, by you particularly (in reference to Dunham), and I feel like I’m walking into a trap where you go, ‘Nobody complains about the nudity on Game of Thrones,’ but I get why they are doing it…they are doing it to be salacious and, you know, titillate people. And your character is often naked just at random times for no reason.”
The conversation escalated quickly and Judd Apatow, an executive producer of the show took particular offense to the comment and rightfully so. Dunham responded to Molloy that the nudity is included “because it’s a realistic expression of what it’s like to be alive.” She further stated that “if you are not into me, that’s your problem, and you are going to have to kind of work that out with whatever professionals you’ve hired.”
Whether or not nudity on television is appropriate is not the question at play. The issue seems to be that Lena Dunham’s nudity is not for the sexual appeal of the audience and therefore has no place on television. Shows like Game of Thrones and Shameless are using nudity to “titillate people,” while Dunham is merely depicting day to day life. Begging the question: why should a woman be naked on television unless she is doing so to sexually arouse viewers?
Girls is attempting to be a realistic portrayal of young adults, Dunham is naked because she is changing clothes, going to the bathroom or occasionally just because not everyone wears pants all the time. These images may be jarring, but they are depictions of our day to day lives. Some people may find this nudity unnecessary, but fans of the show and Dunham, see it as a gritty portrayal of life. In one scene this season a new addition to the cast, Gaby Hoffman, was depicted naked from the waist down during a mental breakdown. In the scene Hoffman is standing in the bathroom holding a glass cup which she intentionally shatters into her own palm. Hoffman’s nudity might appear superfluous to some, but the nudity added to the raw and disturbing quality of the scene. And if viewers didn’t completely understand the scene, it at least led to a lively discussion.
Beyond reclaiming the nude from the clutches of eroticism, Dunham is also changing the notion of who should be naked on television. Dunham, who has tattoos and is consistently thirteen pounds overweight was not made in the image of a Barbie doll. Despite these facts she is beautiful and her “excessive” nudity on the show is providing a positive image for women who don’t have the “perfect” body. Girls’ strong, in-your-face visual approach is demonstrating that female nudity is not meant to simply uphold the sexual fantasies of men or women.
Perhaps Lena, a young writer and actress, is going to revolutionize how audiences perceive the female nude. Dunham may not be “the voice of our generation,” but she most certainly is “a voice of our generation.” Shouldn’t we be receptive and allow Lena to show us her point of view?