It seems that anyone with a brain and access to the Internet has an opinion on Lena Dunham’s HBO show Girls, the show that won two Golden Globes for best actress and best comedy series. Girls has inspired cultural debates, witty think pieces, fashion statements, Twitter wars and so on. Whether you love the show and hail Lena Dunham as a feminist icon with a cool pixie hair cut or you think that the show is nothing more than a self-obsessed pile of dirty Urban Outfitters underwear you cannot deny the effect it’s had – people are talking about Girls.
Season 1 left us with many loose ends: from a whirlwind wedding to best friends throwing household items at each other but now, finally, the wait is over: on the night of the Golden Globes Girls Season 2 descended upon us. Once again viewers had laptops balancing on duvets as they hammered out their opinions onto their keyboards, and the overall consensus seems to be that Season 2 Episode 1 is pretty good.
Whilst you won’t find me joining Dunham on the toilet eating cake in my birthday suit I do see the show’s value and appeal. It’s a show for people who have always wanted to see a female Superbad or a Sex and the City where skinny margaritas and Manolo Blanhinks are swappped for Converse and oversized cupcakes. And frankly, I’m relieved that the first episode of Season 2 reminded me why I love the show so much.
Where else do you get lines like:
Do you miss your hymen?
Season 1 was all about that graduate slump, about twenty-somethings trying to find themselves in the deep dark pool of unemployment, dead end relationships and debt. This season is going to tell us that they’ve been searching in the wrong places: their fragile barely-there identities will be questioned; some may blossom into adulthood whilst others will forever remain selfish and whiny, eating cupcakes in the bathtub (may add that I think we should always eat cupcakes in the bathtub. Even when we’re like super successful).
This article will address some of the problems that Season 1 raised whilst also, hopefully convince you that Season 2 is worth your time.
Let’s proceed.
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2 Comments
YAY, a Girls article!! I love this show. I’m definitely in the ‘Lena Dunham is a pixie-haired feminist goddess’ category (and yes, I’m biased because my hair is short and I too am a feminist, but I make no apologies).
I’m very much looking forward to the story-line with Sandy, because Donald Glover is tied with Crispin Glover as my favourite ‘Glover’ (sorry John Glover and Danny Glover). I just hope they don’t make him a right-wing stereotype, because that would be patronising and lazy writing. I have faith in Dunham that she’ll make him three dimensional though, and it will be interesting to see how she tackles U.S. race relations and political bi-partisanship.
This was really thoughtful and well-written. I loved how you managed to pick up on the fashion (and a rad Lady Gaga shout-out in the post title earns bonus points), and you hit the nail on the head regarding Hannah’s obsession with wanting to be ‘a voice of her generation’, when really, like so many other people in ANY generation, her life is just… normal.
… Now I want to go eat a cupcake in the bath. That sounds AWESOME.
Amy thanks a lot for your comment. You’re my What Culture favourite so this feels a bit like the time I was in a lift with Paul Rudd.
I think Donald Glover will be able to carry whatever they throw at him, I have enough faith in Dunham that she wouldn’t turn him into a stereotype BUT I did hear a rumour that he’ll only be in there for another two episodes. That kind of crushes all my hopes and dreams.
Cupcakes and bathtubs for life!