Lena, unphotoshopped (via Instagram)
Lena Dunham: actress, writer, producer, director, activist, feminist. She’s okay with being all of those things. What is she not okay with being? Dishonest.
This morning Lena took to Instagram to express her disappointment about being majorly photoshopped on the cover of Spanish Magazine Tentaciones.
“Oh hello El Pais! I am genuinely honored to be on your cover and so happy you licensed a pic by @ruvenafanador, who always makes me feel gorgeous. BUT this is NOT what my body has ever looked like or will ever look like—the magazine has done more than the average photoshop. So if you’re into what I do, why not be honest with your readers? Much love, Lena.”
After Lena expressed her frustrations, the magazine sent her an uncropped picture of the cover. Although representing Lena more realistically, the uncropped version was still photoshopped.
“Hey Tentaciones—thank you for sending the uncropped image (note to the confused: not unretouched, uncropped!) and for being so good natured about my request for accuracy. I understand that a whole bunch of people approved this photo before it got to you—and why wouldn’t they? I look great. But it’s a weird feeling to see a photo and not know if it’s your own body anymore (and I’m pretty sure that will never be my thigh width but I honestly can’t tell what’s been slimmed and what hasn’t). I’m not blaming anyone (y’know, except society at large). I have a long and complicated history with retouching. I wanna live in this wild world and play the game and get my work seen, and I also want to be honest about who I am and what I stand for. Maybe it’s turning 30. Maybe it’s seeing my candidate of choice get bashed as much for having a normal woman’s body as she is for her policies. Maybe it’s getting sick and realizing ALL that matters is that this body works, not that it might be milky white and slim. But I want something different now. Thanks for helping me figure that out and sorry to make you the problem, you cool Spanish magazine you. Time to get to the bottom of this in a bigger way. Time to walk the talk. With endless love, Lena. PS I’d love the Tentaciones subscription I was offered!”
Here’s the bottom line: Every magazine cover is photoshopped. And it’s raw dishonesty. The perfect celebrities we see while waiting in line at the grocery store—with their glowing white smiles and tan, toned bodies—are not real. Ya know what separates you from these celebrities? Photoshop. Lies.
Lena is breaking through the impossible standards this world has created for women. She’s embracing her body as a healthy, confident example for the rest of us. She’s beautiful, successful, honest—and she wants you to know, so are you. We’re all Lena.
Image via Instagram / @lenadunham
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