Lena Dunham Links Conservative Backlash on Girls to MAGA Rise

Lena Dunham, creator and star of the HBO series Girls, revealed that she faced significant backlash from conservative and alt-right groups during the show's original run from 2012 to 2017. She noted that conservative voices, including those associated with the MAGA movement and Proud Boys, criticized the show harshly, often focusing on moral judgments and body-shaming. Dunham expressed that she was not surprised by the rise of such conservative and misogynistic sentiments since she had already encountered them in the early 2010s through social media comments and backlash against her show. She acknowledged that while liberal viewers sometimes found the show irritating, the conservative backlash was more intense and rooted in ideological opposition to the show's themes and characters. Dunham also connected the timing of the backlash to the broader political climate, particularly the start of Donald Trump's presidency, which she described as closing a small window of opportunity for controversial television. Her new Netflix series Too Much continues to explore personal and socially relevant themes, including abortion, reflecting her ongoing commitment to addressing complex issues through her work.