Image Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
One problem with all this “voice of a generation” talk? You may find yourself in controversies you weren’t even directly involved in. That’s what happened to Lena Dunham this week when comedian Lisa Lampanelli posted a photo on twitter of herself with Dunham, along with the caption, “Me with my n—a @LenaDunham of @HBOGirls — I love this beyotch!!” Naturally, this made a lot of people extremely uncomfortable.
Up until this point, Dunham – who again, was only in a photo with Lampanelli – was silent about the n-word controversy. But today, after some tweets from writer Shayla Pierce (who wrote about the incident), Dunham finally gave a statement – in 140 character increments, of course. (A rep for Dunham did not immediately respond to EW’s request for comments about the tweets.)
The entire social media exchange is below:
I referred to @girlsHBO's @lenadunham as "rad" in one of my most recent pieces for @xojanedotcom. I'd like to publicly retract that.—
shayla writes (@ShaylaDPierce) February 22, 2013
.@LenaDunham has showed her true colors on this whole n-word debacle. Her silence speaks volumes.—
shayla writes (@ShaylaDPierce) February 22, 2013
I don't think I'll be watching @girlsHBO anymore. And I say that with honest sadness.—
shayla writes (@ShaylaDPierce) February 22, 2013
@VixenOne Lena advertises herself as a progressive but she's chosen not to address the situation. She seems phony to me now.—
shayla writes (@ShaylaDPierce) February 22, 2013
@ShaylaDPierce That's not a word I would EVER use. Its implications are beyond my comprehension. I was made supremely uncomfortable by it.—
Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) February 22, 2013
@ShaylaDPierce Perhaps I should have addressed it, but the fact is I've learned that twitter debates breed more twitter debates.—
Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) February 22, 2013
@ShaylaDPierce Don't like the idea that my silence read to you as tacit approval. It wasn't.—
Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) February 22, 2013
@ShaylaDPierce But 140 characters will never be enough for the kind of dialogue that will actually help us address issues of race and class.—
Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) February 22, 2013
My personal criteria for engaging twitter debate: I wait until something just sits so wrong in my belly & bones that I must finally speak.—
Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) February 22, 2013
@ShaylaDPierce Beautifully written– & I'm sorry that any of those feelings were evoked for you, especially by a sentence with my name in it—
Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) February 22, 2013
Thank you so much. And I do <3 you and your work. Thanks for addressing this *hugsies* @lenadunham—
shayla writes (@ShaylaDPierce) February 22, 2013
Read more:
Lisa Lampanelli defends calling Lena Dunham the n-word: ‘It means friend’
Samuel L. Jackson dares interviewer to say the n-word — VIDEO
Joel McHale talks Chevy Chase’s use of the ‘n’-word with Howard Stern
