In Defense Of Lena Dunham

HBO

"Hannah Horvath is the girl you went home with. And she is f*cking cool."

I would have sex with Lena Dunham.

Let me clarify: I would have sex with Hannah Horvath, the character Dunham plays on Girls. It goes without saying that most guys would sleep with a Golden Globe-winning, HBO-starring “it” girl -- that’s not what’s interesting to me.

What I take issue with is how many guys find my admission about Hannah insane, or even brave. I think the question we need to ask ourselves is: Why is this shocking? Hannah has breasts, a vagina and a real personality -- not to mention a brilliant sense of humor. But wait! She doesn't look like other girls on TV. Guess what, dudes. I know something to be true: You’ve all slept with a Hannah at some point, or you are definitely going to.

It’s time for all of us to come off our high horses.

With Howard Stern fueling the fire this week after Dunham’s Golden Globe wins, the internet is abuzz with questions about why this girl needs to be naked on her show, and with debates over her boldness. Perspective alert: When Game Of Thrones came out, there was so much nudity that SNL did a sketch mocking it. Showtime’s Shameless pans across Emmy Rossum’s boobs on a regular basis. But oddly enough, I hear no complaints from men around the office or in the chattersphere. Because those girls are hot.

Now, maybe I’m crazy, but I like female nudity -- in all forms. Griping about minutiae of shape when it’s presented on television is like finding $100 and bitching because it’s wrinkled. Just be grateful.

I get that Dunham is not the conventional beauty that most guys aspire to be with. But this article is not about my opinion on what’s beautiful and what’s not. The problem is that so many guys are getting up in arms about it, as if she’s offended them.

“Hey! That butt is not toned! How dare you show me that?”

Why so sensitive, guys? I think I have the answer. Well, one answer. It’s because guys hate to see, in the harsh light of day, a woman’s body that resembles those of the women they are likely having sex with in real life. It is so much easier to pretend that you have a bench filled with Mila Kunises when bullsh*tting with your boys. But here is the reality. In your face. On prime time. You’re not hungover with a hint of still-drunk, squinting as you walk out the door, ready to embellish the truth for your buddies. Hannah Horvath is the girl you went home with. And she is f*cking cool.

Like any men’s publication, AskMen is in the business of hot-girl appreciation. I get that we need to embrace that sometimes. I like hot girls, too -- just check my porn history. I’ve even had actual sex with a few of them. But that doesn’t mean we need to be freaked out by a realistic portrayal of the other 99%. In fact, we should embrace it.

Dunham’s TV alter ego likes to have sex -- a lot. Her partner in crime, Marnie (the uber-hot Allison Williams), seems terrified to let loose and have some fun (see the almost comical lack of nudity in her sex scene in the first episode of Season 2). I have dated both types, and let me tell you something: When Dunham strips down Sundays on HBO, she is doing all of us a favor.

She’s narrowing the gap between these girls. She’s bringing that gap to its knees. Do you want to sleep with real women, or do you want to obsess over a dream? Maybe you don’t have to choose. Lena Dunham is showing us the options. And maybe altering my porn history a little.