Lena Dunham: Body shaming is pretty inevitable in Hollywood

Too Much creator Lena Dunham believes the era of body positivity has “gone”.

Lena Dunham thinks body shaming in Hollywood is “pretty inevitable”.

The 39-year-old star – who is best known for creating Girls, the hit HBO series – believes the era of body positivity has “gone”.

Asked if the world has become more accepting of seeing all types of bodies on-screen since Girls, Lena told Variety: “No. I wish I could say yes, but I really don’t.

“I think we had this moment: Body positivity was here, and then it was gone.

“I obviously am not critical of anybody’s choice, whether it’s to use Ozempic — people should be allowed to have whatever body they feel comfortable in. But we cannot pretend that the bodies people want aren’t influenced, and we can’t claim it’s always for health reasons and not for aesthetic reasons.”

Lena thinks body shaming is unavoidable in Hollywood.

The actress added: “But just because I’ve become used to it for myself, doesn’t mean that I feel comfortable about it for anyone else.”

Lena admits that she “wasn’t protective enough” of herself during her younger years.

The writer – whose new show, Too Much, is set to premiere on Netflix – said: “I have been in Hollywood at every size.

“I have been a sample size, I have had my body change because of life, illness, ageing, menopause. And it is merciless wherever you are.”

Meanwhile, Lena recently revealed that she chose to “step back” from acting because she was tired of having her appearance “dissected”.

The TV star admitted that she faced less scrutiny after she stopped appearing on-screen.

She told The Independent: “Having my body dissected was a reason that I chose in general to step back from acting a little bit more and focus on my writing and my directing, and also just make different kinds of choices as an actor.”

Lena has already enjoyed lots of success in her career, but she struggled to enjoy the good times during her younger years.

The Too Much creator explained: “For all the Girls premieres I was in my twenties, so I was terrified and anxious. So just being able to actually enjoy it this time and be present was really nice.”