“What is the purpose of all of the nudity in ‘Girls’?”
This is the question that a reporter asked the cast and producers of HBO’s show “Girls” a few weeks ago. I might have gone a step further and asked, “What is the purpose of ‘Girls’?” or “How do you think your show is bettering humanity?” (Spoiler alert on that last question – it’s not.)
During the Television Critics Association winter press tour, Tim Molloy of The Wrap looked to creator Lena Dunham for the answer to his question about the incessant nudity in ‘Girls’.
“I don’t get the purpose of all of the nudity on the show, by you particularly, 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,” Molloy said. “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.”
This is the same question that I’ve wanted to ask every time I’ve seen a clip, preview, or episode of the HBO show. And I think a lot of others want to know the answer too. And – to be honest, I think we all deserve an answer if the nudity is not an issue and there is some reason for it.
Instead, this question caused the producers and cast to go into a ”rage spiral”.
“Girls” creator, writer, and lead actress Lena Dunham responded, “It’s because it’s a realistic expression of what it’s like to be alive, I think, and I totally get it. 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.”
Ok, Lena. Calm down. Molloy wasn’t attacking your body or your right to be naked on HBO, he was just asking a question.
Also, to say that it’s a “realistic expression of what it’s like to be alive”… I guess we have different definitions of what it means to be alive. Seriously?
The show’s executive producer, Judd Apatow, jumped on board and railed against the reporter saying that his question was “offensive,” as well as “sexist” and “misogynistic.”
Later, another ‘Girls’ executive producer, Jenni Konner, said that she was still “spacing out” in a “rage spiral” over Molloy’s question about nudity in the show. She said, “I was just looking at him and going into this rage [over] this idea that you would talk to a woman like that and accuse a woman of showing her body too much. The idea, it just makes me sort of sick.”
The question for me is no longer about nudity, the question I want to ask is – “Why did Dunham, Apatow, and Konner get so defensive?”
The answer is: The show has no real substance. I’ve watched the show, and every time I watch it, all I want to do is ask for my money back and the last 30 minutes of my life.
Lena Dunham and her ‘Girls’ team have been hailed as “feminists” and glorified for “promoting real women’s lives”, but let’s be honest… this show actually degrades women, friendships, and sex.
The female characters on ‘Girls’ have no high aspirations – and what little dreams they do have, need to be funded by their parents or grandparents. These girls are off in a dream world where you can meander through life, not trying hard or sacrificing anything for your dreams, and have it all funded by your parents or someone else. (Sound familiar? See: Sandra Fluke.)
This is not the feminist dream, it’s actually a nightmare. Women are strong, fascinating creatures, but this ‘Girls’ degrades their intellect, their strength, their lives and their bodies. This show could be a powerhouse, that works to empower women, but instead there is nothing empowering about this show.
This show also takes the beauty, power, and awe out of sex. The characters treat sex as a bodily function, instead of something amazing and powerful. I guess in a pop culture way, this is just a reflection of the fact that married people have better (and more) sex.
Don’t waste any time watching ‘Girls. This show has no substance, and the creators know that; which is why they got so defensive when the journalist asked about all of the nudity.
Life is beautiful, amazing, and full of wonder. Women are powerful, strong, and should strive to accomplish great things in their lives (as should men). Sex is fascinating, exciting, and is one of the greatest expressions of love we have. Don’t support shows like “Girls” that degrade the true beauty of life, sex and love. We all deserve better that.