It all started when one of my friends, the one who's seen ALL the series, tipped me on this new show. "It's amazing," she said. "You'll love it, Lana." At the time I was in the middle of my deadlines and exams, which meant that I had to keep my 'DONT-WATCH-SERIES-DURING-EXAMPERIODS-BECAUSE-SHITS-GOING-DOWN'-promise. No marathons for me. Stay strong Lana. Think degrees. Think success. I remember the time I started Game of Thrones. The addiction came in like in like a wrecking ball and I had to skip five episodes in order to see the final Red Wedding episodes. This way i could finally start studying for the exam I had next day. You can imagine the grade I received two weeks later (emotional Game of Thrones break-down + test = kill me now). So, this time I kept my promise as a good girl does and waited until after I had finished my exams to watch the series my friend had told me about: GIRLS.
I was a f a n g i r l instantly. Finally a progamme with decent female characters, real characters. The series is refreshing, hilarious and horribly relatable for every human being with a vagina. Hannah, Marnie, Shoshanna and Jessa are completely different persons but all amazing and charming in their own way. Lena Dunham and her crew have done one fine job creating this revolutionary tv show that every girl should watch.
I thought I was dreaming when I heard goddess Dunham was publishing a book about her life. I waited like long-lost dog until it came out. If the book would be as revealing and funny as GIRLS is, it would be my ultimate read. When 'Not That Kind of Girl' was released, I immediately ordered it on the Interwebs since books generally take a shitload of time to appear in the Dutch bookstores. I think I cried a little when a book-shaped package finally landed on my doormat on a lovely rainy afternoon. I started reading: I loved it. It is inspirational, honest, extremely funny and again, just like GIRLS, very relatable. Lena Dunham obviously wanted to write her life essays as open and sincere as possible, and I'm thankful for that. She got some negative responses on parts about her as a child (about examining her sister's vagina etc) but I think these critics are pathetic. Everyone knows that children do odd things. It's not fair to portray someone like a psycho maniac for simply no good reason. Dunhams honesty makes her book so strong, no matter what people may think about it. 'Not That Kind of Girl' is not only a funny piece of writing. I also think that it contains a message that every girl that's growing up, trying to find herself, could learn from. It's about loving yourself, listening to yourself, choosing your own path and the fact that you don't have to take yourself too seriously. Laugh!
If you haven't watched Girls, or read 'Not That Kind of Girl' yet: please do. It's lovely.
