Lena Dunham Would Like to Remind You That Thinness Does Not Equal Health

Lena Dunham shared pictures from her recent wedding to musician Luis Felber on Instagram and was met with comments that were supportive and loving and congratulatory—and also a bunch from body-shaming trolls. Ugh. 

In response to the ill-informed haters, Dunham posted a smiling selfie and shared a few thoughts about her health journey. After acknowledging the many positive things currently happening in her life and explaining why she uses social media, she wrote, “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…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.”

She continued, “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.”

Many of the Girls creator’s peers have left positive comments on her latest ’Gram, including Lily Collins, who wrote, “This is just so beautifully said. And I thank you for putting it out there. Sending so much love and so many hugs to you both. From one newlywed to another ❤️❤️❤️❤️.” Lena Dunham’s husband, Luis Felber, posted simply, “My wife ❤️❤️❤️.”