Lifestyle

Why We Should Celebrate Lena Dunham For Women's History Month

by Lauren Ray

As women's history month draws to a close, it's important that we recognize one of the most prominent people of the women's rights movement today.

As an advocate of gender equality and young women everywhere, Lena Dunham deserves to be celebrated.

The brilliant writer-turned-actor-turned-producer-turned-author is a brave woman who took the world by storm when she shared her most personal anecdotes in her book, "Not That Kind Of Girl."

As a fan of the HBO series, "Girls," I naturally pre-ordered a copy of her book, read it in a day, and felt delighted and empowered.

Lena is one of the more prominent voices of Generation-Y. She has firm beliefs that she isn't afraid to speak out about, and she stands behind organizations and people regardless of what the general public thinks.

One of my favorite quotes from Lena touches on the expectations society has placed on strength:

"It's interesting how we often can't see the ways in which we are being strong."

Having personally struggled with the faction of strength and having witnessed my dearest friends battle these expectations on a daily basis, this really struck a chord with me.

As difficult as it may feel for you to be yourself, by doing so, you are demonstrating strength. And, that is a beautiful thing.

As difficult as it can be to be a public figure, or as difficult as it can be to fully expose yourself for the likes of HBO's paying audience, Lena Dunham does it, and as such, she is being strong.

It is empowering for members of our society to see other women be strong, comfortable and independent. It is encouraging for our society to share certain opinions with these women of power.

It is important for people like Lena to keep doing what they're doing.

Throughout history, women have fought to have their voices heard.

From the writings of Clara Barton to the bravery of the women fighting overseas to defend our country, March is a month dedicated to celebrating and honoring these women because in some way, they have worked to empower other women.

And, while not everyone agrees with the things Lena does or says, I, personally, feel like she's doing a good job at being strong, being comfortable in her own skin and being a creative woman in Hollywood.

Her HBO series, "Girls," is a look at life post-college, and while it may be a bit exaggerated, it's also extremely relevant. Through this outlet, she gives hilariously appropriate advice to the women of Gen-Y.

She's been through a lot of things that many people tend to keep bottled up inside, and it's inspiring that she wants to share her experiences with the world.

Watching her share her stories has opened up many doors for many people and encouraged them to share their stories, too.

As if that weren't enough, Lena's pretty awesome in a number of other ways. Just take a look at her Instagram account to see how.

As a self-proclaimed Instagram aficionado, I feel confident in stating that Lena's is one of the best accounts that I follow.

A lot of her pictures are of her dog, Lamby, who is adorable in his own right, but she's also into yoga and even posts some behind-the-scenes pics while shooting "Girls."

In closing, expect to see a lot more from Lena Dunham. She's going to continue to be a prominent force in the realm of strong women.

Shooting for "Girls" season five is set to start soon, and I hope another book is in the works. Perhaps for Women's History Month 2016, we can discuss her latest inspiring project.