girls

Much of Girls so far has dealt with romantic relationships. But in last night's episode, "Bad Friend," the drama centered on the hard work of handling friendships. Namely, best friendships. The tension that has been simmering between Hannah and Marnie since the beginning of this season finally exploded in a coke-and-bad-sex-with-a-terrible-artist-fueled showdown. 

Onscreen, women struggle as unpaid interns but are saved by, in April's case, a surprise job opportunity in season two of Parks and Recreation. But in real life, about one in six 18-24 year-olds are unemployed and those who land coveted internships often go unpaid.

In fictional TV narratives, job interviews and negotiations are opportunities for farce. Especially when the manager is male and his subordinate is female, TV writers grab the opportunity to intersect career milestones with heterosexual complications. But when labor economics converge with gender in the real world, the result is far from uproarious.

If last week’s season premiere was the leadup to the inevitable conversation about race that Girls has needed, last night's episode, “I Get Ideas,” finally delivered, with mixed results.

Shows like Girls and The Nanny portray childcare as a temporary, middle-class job that comes with nonthreatening romantic entanglements. And Downton Abbey depicts domestic work as a stable career, so long as you can adhere to the house rules. But in the real world, domestic work is an unstable profession that can encompass unfair labor practices—and a lack of legal protection against them.

When Girls premiered last year, so many pop culture–loving feminists had pinned hopes on the show that it disappointment was almost inevitable. In a raft of post–Season 1 interviews, Dunham hinted that many critiques of the show—chief among them the issue of its attitude toward race—would be addressed in Season two.

From coffee shops to reception desks, from retail counters to runways, how do TV depictions of young women at work ring true, and how do they fall short?

Lena Dunham tells Esquire she doesn't listen to the haters, including those who say she's whitewashing Brooklyn.

I love illustrator Kyle Hilton. Based on the paper dolls he makes, the two of us should be best friends who watch every television show and movie together always. Case in point: His new set, a collaboration with Vulture, is of the cast of GIRLS!


Hannah Horvath, complete with union suit, laptop, and tub cupcake.

Well, you knew this was coming. With everyone talking about GIRLS (and the "Shit Girls Say" guy landing a book deal), this "Shit Girls Say About GIRLS" video was as inevitable as a future filled with sex robots. And I have to admit, even though I am a "Shit Girls Say" hater, I laughed at this.

Check it out but be warned: The Internet just might be collapsing on itself.


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