Dunham: “Girls” sex scares men

Dunham: “Girls” sex scares men

This interview is from last month on Salon.com. I've been thinking about this since I saw the first episode of "Girls", that there is a particular flavour of joylessness to the sex as portrayed on the show. Maybe it's not fair to compare to Sex and the City (even though Dunham says they owe a huge debt to SATC for trailblazing etc), but this is one area where the comparison interests me a lot. Namely the characterization of the sex--on SATC there was a strong message of sexual autonomy and empowerment.

On Girls it just seems like a humiliating chore.

I know one show can't and shouldn't try to be all things to all people but I can't help but be a little bummed that the women on the show don't seem to be getting off at all. I read a short interview with Alison Williams (who plays Marnie) where she said that the sexual mores on the show were about youth culture; that it's an accurate portrayal that maybe older generations wouldn't relate to.

Uh, yeah.

The scenes are depressing enough without now having to worry that they're also realistic! Oy. Maybe I'm just accustomed to more rose-coloured portrayals of sexuality in my preferred TV/movie watching? I don't think I'm crazy (old, sure)--the women on the show so far seem to be getting the worst of some effed up situations. Would be nice of one of them at least had an orgasm or something......anyhoo, I'm still interested in seeing the rest of the season.

I like everything I've read about Lena Dunham; I can't help but notice that the way she writes sex for women on Girls seems the same as in her film Tiny Furniture. Just---ugh. Is it just too real for me? No, I'm not that jaded, I just wish it were a little more balanced.

In this Salon piece she says guys she's spoken too found the scenes very disturbing; moreso than women. In a way I can see that; mostly if I were a guy watching it, thinking that it was an accurate reflection of how sex is transacted in the modern age, mostly I'd just worry that the women were going to close up shop completely in protest. Anyway, as a woman, I'd like to reassure Dunham that the sex scares me too!