Lena Dunham Glamour Magazine Cover Cellulite Photoshop

Photo: Courtesy of Glamour Magazine

Lena Dunham has always used her platform to champion the female body, whether that's through her frank portrayal of sex on the hit HBO show Girls or her diligence in calling out Photoshop in the beauty industry. In the midst of all the negativity that sometimes surrounds this practice, the writer and actress took a moment on Instagram to spread some good vibes by thanking Glamour magazine for their February cover, which features the cast of Girls in their honest, un-retouched glory. Notably, Dunham's cellulite is visible, which is a huge step forward for the industry. "Throughout my teens I was told, in no uncertain terms, that I was fucking funny looking. Potbelly, rabbit teeth, knock knees -- I could never seem to get it right and it haunted my every move," the Instagram post begins, accompanied by an image of the 30-year-old in a casual pyjama top with an exposed belly. "Let's get something straight: I didn't hate what I looked like -- I hated the culture that was telling me to hate it. She goes on to explain that when her career started, people began taking a different tone with her body, telling her she was "brave" for being so confident, which wasn't great either. It was just her body! "Well, today this body is on the cover of a magazine that millions of women will read, without photoshop, my thigh on full imperfect display," she continues. "Whether you agree with my politics, like my show or connect to what I do, it doesn't matter- my body isn't fair game." The Not That Kind Of Girl author believes this sets a precedent for 2017, and that trolls are going to have to get "more creative" because this cover is proof that body acceptance won't be scared or shouted away. "Thank you to the women in Hollywood (and on Instagram!) leading the way, inspiring and normalizing the female form in EVERY form," Dunham concludes. "And thank you to @glamourmag for letting my cellulite do the damn thing on news stands everywhere today ❤️ Love you all." You can read her post in full below.

Okay, here goes: throughout my teens I was told, in no uncertain terms, that I was fucking funny looking. Potbelly, rabbit teeth, knock knees- I could never seem to get it right and it haunted my every move. I posed as the sassy confident one, secretly horrified and hurt by careless comments and hostility. Let's get something straight: I didn't hate what I looked like- I hated the culture that was telling me to hate it. When my career started, some people celebrated my look but always through the lens of "isn't she brave? Isn't it such a bold move to show THAT body on TV?" Then there were the legions of trolls who made high school teasing look like a damned joke with the violent threats they heaped on, the sickening insults that made me ache for teen girls like me who might be reading my comments. Well, today this body is on the cover of a magazine that millions of women will read, without photoshop, my thigh on full imperfect display. Whether you agree with my politics, like my show or connect to what I do, it doesn't matter- my body isn't fair game. No one's is, no matter their size, color, gender identity, and there's a place for us all in popular culture to be recognized as beautiful. Haters are gonna have to get more intellectual and creative with their disses in 2017 because none of us are going to be scared into muumuus by faceless basement dwellers, or cruel blogs, or even our partners and friends. Thank you to the women in Hollywood (and on Instagram!) leading the way, inspiring and normalizing the female form in EVERY form, and thank you to @glamourmag for letting my cellulite do the damn thing on news stands everywhere today ❤️ Love you all.

A photo posted by Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) on Jan 3, 2017 at 9:00am PST

I had seen the Instagram videos showing people popping the Zoe app’s glucose monitor onto their upper arms and promising that “it doesn’t hurt”. Re

As twenty-one-year-old Toria Christie scrolled through TikTok, she started to cry. “I was so sad when I first saw [those videos],” she tells me. “Lik

The pinching, aching, piercing abdominal pangs that can come with a period can make a person want to assume the foetal position and sleep until it’s

Lena Dunham Thanks Glamour Magazine On Instagram

Lena Dunham Thanks Glamour Magazine For Not Photoshopping Her Cover

More from Body

R29 Original Series