Lena Dunham Instagram – This past week was lovely for so many reasons. Firstly, I got married. My husband and I traveled to the country and looked at bee hives & fields of wildflowers. I got to feel the intense love of my friends/family surrounding us. I got a little break from work, which reminded me how much I love what I do and how excited I am to share what I’ve been making with you in 2022. I say this because over the years, I’ve shared many challenges with you and these moments of joy had me thinking that we should admit when we’re happy too- it’s not a crime. But all of this safety made me forget, for a moment, why I’ve created such intense boundaries with the internet over the past few years. It’s a little too easy to feel the glow of support and forget about the cesspool lurking behind it- so I took a peek, and saw some gnarly shit, most not worth responding to or even sharing with you. But one narrative I take issue with, largely because it’s a story I don’t want other women, other people, to get lodged in their heads is that I should somehow be ashamed because my body has changed since I was last on television. Firstly “did Lena eat the cast of Girls” just isn’t a very good joke- I could punch that up for the Tweeter. Secondly, it’s ironic to have my body compared to a body that was also the subject of public scorn- an echo chamber of body shaming. But lastly, when will we learn to stop equating thinness with health/happiness? Of course weight loss can be the result of positive change in habits, but guess what? So can weight gain. The pics I’m being compared to are from when I was in active addiction with undiagnosed illness. In the 4 years since I’ve gotten sober and begun my life as someone who aspires toward health and not just achievement. These changes have allowed me to be the kind of sister/friend/daughter that I want to be and yes- meet my husband (who, by the way, doesn’t recognize me in those old photos because he sees how dimmed my light was.) I say this for any other person whose appearance has been changed with time, illness or circumstance-it’s okay to live in your present body without treating it as transitional. I am, and I’m really enjoying it. Love you all.