Lena Dunham and Jemima Kirke are featured in a campaign to make lingerie comfortable.
"My fears came true: people called me fat and hideous, and I lived. And now I keep on living." — Lena Dunham
Lena Dunham has always seemed rather comfortable bearing it all in front of the camera.
From her countless nude/underwear scenes on "Girls" to her commitment to sharing unedited photos on Instagram, she certainly appears to be confident about her body. It wasn't an easy journey; it took years of wading through numerous insecurities for her to get to where she is today.
Not her natural habitat but she's trying her darnedest!!!
A photo posted by Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) on
"When I got out of college I thought, 'What am I gonna do? No one's gonna hire me, I'm a fat girl,'" she told People in 2014.
Of course, that turned out to be the furthest thing from the truth.
Dunham is now modeling for body-positive lingerie brand Lonely Lingerie alongside her "Girls" co-star Jemima Kirke.
Jemima Kirke applying lipstick to Lena Dunham for the lingerie shoot. Photo by Zara Mirkin and Harry Were/Lonely Lingerie. All photos used with permission.
Wearing lingerie can be an incredibly vulnerable experience, but the New Zealand-based lingerie brand is all about changing that perception.
Most lingerie (and the ads for it) are designed for what's known as the "male gaze." They feature heavy airbrushing, complicated hooks and ties and underwires, and models in uncomfortable, awkward poses. While lots of women might want to wear lingerie, many don't feel like they can for any number of reasons: They have the "wrong" body type, it's too complicated, it's not comfortable, it's not designed for them, the list goes on.
Lonely Lingerie wants lingerie to be freeing and empowering, something that women wear as "a love letter to themselves" rather than a gift for a spectator to enjoy.
Photo By Zara Mirkin and Harry Were/Lonely Lingerie.
It's refreshing to see Dunham and Kirke wearing lingerie for themselves because they want to wear it, posing with cellulite and tattoos and belly rolls and looking totally casual and comfortable.
Dunham and Kirke might be the highest-profile models in Lonely Lingerie's new campaign, but they aren't the only ones.
Here are nine other photos from the campaign, showcasing inspiring women wearing lingerie for themselves.
Just like the photos of Dunham and Kirke, the other photos in the series are unretouched and not meant for the male gaze. The women in them are successful and confident, posing in environments in which they feel comfortable.
1. Meet Hannah, an early childhood care student from Melbourne, Australia.
2. Meet India, a house painter and surfer from Auckland, New Zealand.
3. Meet Alice, an artist in her home in New York City.
4. Meet Erica from Far North, New Zealand. "I was interested in being a part of this project because women need to see each other and be seen as we are."
5. Meet Nicole and bubba Beau from Auckland.
6. Meet Anna, a fine arts student from Auckland.
7. Meet Ruth, Grace, Bridget, and Bonnie. "We go together like butter & bread, there's a whole lot of love."
8. Meet Anja, designer for Lonely Lingerie, and her dog Hank.
9. Meet Isa, a soul singer from New York City.
Now more than ever, we need to embrace every ripple of who we are, inside and out — not just in ourselves, but in others as well.
As Dunham writes on her blog: "This body is the only one I have. I love it for what it's given me. I hate it for what it's denied me. And now, without further ado, I want to be able to pick my own thigh out of a lineup."
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.