Yeah, definitely this. And I think if the show is trying to make any sort of point in the looks department, it's that people focus too much on women's looks. This discussion is a prime example of that.Originally Posted by The Summoner of Leviathan
Yeah, definitely this. And I think if the show is trying to make any sort of point in the looks department, it's that people focus too much on women's looks. This discussion is a prime example of that.
To be fair, the dominating conversation point when talking about Hannah isn't her appearance, it's her horrendous personality.
But I also don't agree with the idea that Hannah is meant to represent a normal or average girl with her appearance. She seems to deliberately choose outfits that are incredibly ill-fitting or unflattering. It takes effort to look that bad. I also think her sloppy and messy appearance is meant to illustrate her sloppy and messy life and personality. She is not someone who has her life together, and that's reflected in her inability to really dress herself.
It's not like she's alone in the crappy outfit choices. All the girls on the show have bad taste, but they have DIFFERENT bad tastes which reflect their different personalities.
Really, it is an effort. You have to go out of your way to get clothes like those - it's not like she just went to target and got some sweaters and tee shirts and jeans. I'm not sure if it's supposed to reflect her bohemian/uncoventional/writer-personality, or what, but it's definitely not "average". There is of course far more to this show than the concept of fashion or image, but that was the point we were discussing, so.
I loved that show. Kinda girly but the humor was just awesome. HBO really used to be on top of my favorite channel list
Last edited by KristaWebster; 12-30-2014 at 09:54 AM.
I don't watch this show but I just googled Lena Dunham and I think she looks a little bit like our Pike maybe.
I'm still thinking about this, and maybe we do need more shows like this: Shows that present failure. Arguments with friends, the inability to pay bills, jealousy, not getting the job, going to a great party and not having fun - situations that aren't neatly wrapped up at the end of an episode. Characters that aren't "either/or", but rather "both/and". Sex that isn't just wonderful, consensual and full of chemistry and soft-movie-lighting, but portrayed as vengeful, or degrading, or possibly rape, and the self-doubt and uncertainty that goes with that. Showing that doing unpleasant and unlikable things has consequences - but not always - and that tolerating people being unpleasant toward you, refusing to do hard work and settling for less also has consequences.
However, I think that this show will always make me uncomfortable. I wish we had more shows about experiences of poor people, or people of colour, or solo parents on welfare, or people with disabilities, or immigrants, but I also think that there are a lot of debt-ridden white people out there with disappointed dreams and overpriced data plans who can probably relate to this show. Good for them. Lena Dunham, however, is not such a person - she's the child of two rich artists, who was sent to a private liberal arts college, and has had the privilege of being able to attend therapy for her OCD since she was seven years old. There's something very unsettling about seeing her use her connections to launch her career (even if that career is sustained with hard work), and then see her squirm out of having any sort of accountability around issues of class, race and privilege. It seems a bit odd to me because so much of her work is obviously self-referential, but the way she has opened up the scope for her show (using upper-middle class people instead of outrageously wealthy people who don't run the risk of being cut off) in a way that seems to water down the issues instead of presenting new or different ones. Is it an artist's duty to get on their soapbox? Perhaps not, but a wasted opportunity is still a pity, especially if it can be argued that the art one is producing is not even entertaining or beautiful.
So, sure. It's not Friends, but this show is at the very least, thought provoking.
I believe I heard about this show in passing when it was named dropped on the Most Popular Girls in High School YouTube series, but outside of that and this thread never heard of it nor followed anything about it. But outside of GoT I don't watch much HBO anyway. Doesn't sound like anything I would personally enjoy so... pass.
I love this show. I wish I could watch it with Rantzien in our jammies.
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