Lena Dunham Talks About The Lack Of Black Characters On Girls

With the final season of Girls premiering next month, creator Lena Dunham has had a lot of time to do some reflection. She appeared on the cover of Nylon's February issue and opened up about the eight years she spent working on show, as well as all the things she would do differently if she could try again. A (valid) criticism often directed at the show was its distinct lack of diversity. The drama followed the saga of four very white protagonists, and characters of colour were few and far between, usually only lasting a couple of episodes. Having grown, this is something Dunham regrets. "I wouldn’t do another show that starred four white girls,” she said. However, when it comes to the past, Dunham stresses that the lack of diversity came from naivety and ignorance. "When I wrote the pilot I was 23," she continued. "Each character was an extension of me. I thought I was doing the right thing. I was not trying to write the experience of somebody I didn’t know, and not trying to stick a black girl in without understanding the nuance of what her experience of hipster Brooklyn was." Dunham has worked to make up for this oversight in her other creative endeavours. Both her newsletter, Lenny Letter, and her podcast, Women Of The Hour, strive to include marginalised and diverse voices that contribute to important conversations. Let's hope this is a trend that continues.