Lena Dunham Instagram – When I was younger, I thought the first person confessional essay was going to save us. As women, it seemed like the only way to force the world to understand our gripes, fears and needs, to pass information and normalize experience. It was more than a genre to many of us- it was a religion. Often that hope was weaponized by a world not ready for stark female pleasure, pain and rage. So I’m not sure it ended up being the key to liberation- many of the old stalwarts of the genre have moved on, but I’m still here. What *did* liberate me was realizing I could empathize with characters in a way that made even fiction feel true. Thank you Los Angeles Times for allowing me to write about my favorite thing: writing. Link in bio to read. Some trivia: wearing all my mother’s clothes without asking first, thank you mom!!! 📸 @celestesloman / For the Times #TheEnvelope