Whatever you think of Lena Dunham, you should praise her for body positivity
We are taught to hate being fat, but clearly she is on to something after sharing those photos on Instagram
IT was so interesting to see Lena Dunham’s recent Instagram post of two photos of herself.
The first was taken in April last year when she was, not to put too fine a point on it, thin.
In the photo beside it, taken this week, she has clearly put on weight — the thing that all women are supposed to fear, dread and avoid.
But far from ruing her weight loss, her accompanying comment did the opposite.
It read: “On the left, 138 pounds, complimented all day and propositioned by men and on the cover of a tabloid about diets that work. Also, sick in the tissue and in the head and subsisting only on small amounts of sugar, tons of caffeine and a purse pharmacy.
“On the right: 162 pounds, happy, joyous and free, complimented only by people that matter for reasons that matter, subsisting on a steady flow of fun/healthy snacks and apps and entrees, strong from lifting dogs and spirits.”
Whatever you think of Girls actress Lena, she makes a good point about the price that women often pay to be thin.
She also very effectively raises the question of why it is that “thin” should be the goal to end all goals, given that it is by no means a guarantee of happiness.
This chimes with the thought I have often had about the many women I encounter at cocktail parties and elsewhere for whom being thin is clearly a full-time occupation.
They eschew champagne in favour of water and say no to canapes.
They may be thin but, more often than not, they look flipping miserable.
As I have observed before, we are all guilty of colluding with the seemingly universal obsession with thinness and “perfection”.
We are a nation of yo-yo dieters. We inject our faces with poison and surgically insert bags of silicone into our boobs or bottoms. We starve ourselves — and still we feel bad about our bodies.
And I’m as susceptible as the next woman.
I have my fair share of moments where I think about how nice it must be to walk to the beach looking like Blanca Blanco, rather than gripping my sarong around my thighs, terrified that someone will liken them to cottage cheese.
Meanwhile, how many men even own a sarong — let alone grip it to their bodies for fear the world will turn on them?
Lena’s comments are interesting because she is an example of the lengths many women have to go to to be thin, and how much happier we would feel if we stopped.
The fact is, if you want to be thin it has to be more or less a life-long obsession that dominates far more of your mental space than is interesting. No wonder Lena became so much happier when she stopped obsessing.
Very few people are naturally thin. And, as many of us know, the challenge isn’t so much getting the weight off as keeping it off.
When a woman in the public eye has the tenacity to put weight on, very often she is stalked by people on social media keeping track of every pound she gains.
Just ask Scarlett Moffatt, Vicky Pattison or Chanelle Hayes.
Meanwhile, male actors such as Russell Crowe whose physique has certainly changed with time are not subjected to anywhere near the same amount of scrutiny.
Just to be clear, I am by no means advocating obesity or an unhealthy lifestyle.
But imagine a world in which the only thing that women were valued for is what they do, what they think and what they say, rather than what they look like and whether they are thin enough.
It may sound like Utopia — although to me it sounds a bit like what it’s like to be a man.
Harry's lads did us proud
ALTHOUGH I was as devastated as the next person when England’s hopes were dashed on Wednesday night, I think I speak for the nation when I say that the World Cup this year has really restored our faith in football.
Yes, it’s such a shame they got so close and yet so far. But we all felt really proud of the team – captained by Harry Kane – and of their manager Gareth Southgate and the way they conducted themselves throughout.
I can’t wait for Qatar 2022 now. The only thing that brought the mood down was the female fan jumping on the roof of an ambulance and the fans who stormed Ikea causing serious damage.
I hope the police identify every last one of them and bill them for the damage – then fine them.
Seriously, what’s wrong with some people?
Don't forget about the women
I HATE to be a pedant but with everyone banging on about how it’s been 28 years since England last got to the semi-finals of a World Cup, I’d just like to point out that that’s not true.
Sure, the last time that the men’s team were in the semis was in 1990. But the female team got to the semis of the 2015 Women’s World Cup.
Oh, but I forgot . . . that doesn’t count, right? Because they are women.
It's really not that difficult
ACTOR Henry Cavill has said in an interview that the #MeToo movement has left him nervous about flirting with women over fears that he will be called a rapist.
Henry said: “I think a woman should be wooed and chased. It’s very difficult to do that if there are certain rules in place.
“Because then it’s like, I don’t want to go up and talk to her because then I’m going to be called a rapist or something.”
In case there are any other men similarly baffled and unsure how to avoid being called a rapist, let me give you a clue.
All you have to do is . . . not rape anyone.
Cops must focus on real hate
AS regular readers will know, I’m all about ironing out inequalities and injustices against women.
But news that wolf-whistling at ladies in the street could soon be classified as a hate crime really is nothing short of bonkers.
Following a trial scheme by Nottinghamshire Police, other police chiefs have been asked to “consider the case” for recording misogyny, sexist abuse and harassment as a hate crime.
As well as whistling, other incidents that fall under the new hate rules include verbal abuse, unwanted physical approaches, harassment in the street, taking photographs without consent and sending unwanted text messages.
I’m all for changing attitudes but to classify wolf-whistling as a hate crime is a bit much.
Apart from anything else, wolf-whistling is an older man’s thing. My son and the rest of his generation wouldn’t even dream of wolf-whistling a girl in the street – they have Tinder, for goodness sake.
This not only trivialises real hate crimes, such as anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and homophobia, but also focuses on the wrong stuff.
To truly address the issues of harassment and sexist abuse, we need to start giving proper jail sentences to men who rape women, and for domestic violence.
We need to take seriously claims of harassment and domestic abuse that are made about men by women.
And we need to change the structure and culture of rape trials so it is the perpetrator, not the victim – including her previous sex life – who is on trial.
That way, more women will have the courage to report the crime.
Paycheck is needed at Beeb
ANYONE else unsurprised to hear the top 12 earners at the BBC are – wait for it – all men?
Yes, Chris Evans, Graham Norton, Jeremy Vine and John Humphrys are among those who have seen their pay drop since last year.
But the BBC – clearly – has yet to solve the problem of the gender pay gap.
It is in its power to put it right and it doesn’t seem to be doing so.
There is no doubt that one of the hardest things to change in any business is the culture.
But there is also no doubt at all that this particular business has yet to get its culture right.
The message the BBC is still sending out is that it doesn’t value female talent as highly as male talent.
That needs to change – and fast.
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Luis is no picture of elf
A MAN who has spent more than £23,000 on cosmetic procedures to transform himself into a “space elf” wants plastic surgeons to give him an out-of-this-world nose that “doesn’t look human at all”.
Luis Padron, 25, from Buenos Aires, believes the doctors from E! reality series Botched are the only ones who can give him the elfin nose of his dreams.
“I focus my transformation in space elves,” Luis says in a preview clip for the episode. “They are warriors of love and light, and they protect the Earth from evil aliens and stuff like that.”
Clearly, the man is not well and has mental health issues. Surely any doctor worth their salt would recognise that, rather than agreeing to give him the elfin nose of his dreams.