Just a week after photos from her wedding went viral, Lena Dunham is addressing the "gnarly" comments she's received from body-shamers on social media.
A few days after the Girls star, 35, confirmed that she'd tied the knot with musician Luis Felber, 35, Lena explained in an Instagram post on Oct. 6 that she's had to take a step back after reading disparaging comments online.
After sharing that the week after her wedding "was lovely for so many reasons," Lena added, "I've shared many challenges with you and these moments of joy had me thinking that we should admit when we're happy too-it's not a crime. But all of this safety made me forget, for a moment, why I've created such intense boundaries with the internet over the past few years."
Lena went on to explain that she recently "took a peek" past the usual supportive and encouraging comments about herself online and saw some "gnarly s--t."
"Most [are] not worth responding to or even sharing with you," she wrote. "But one narrative I take issue with, largely because it's a story I don't want other women, other people, to get lodged in their heads is that I should somehow be ashamed because my body has changed since I was last on television."
Although the actress appeared on the big screen in the 2019 movie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, her last television roles included her character on her HBO show, Girls, and a guest role in American Horror Story: Cult—both in 2017.
"Firstly ‘did Lena eat the cast of Girls' just isn't a very good joke- I could punch that up for the Tweeter," she continued. "Secondly, it's ironic to have my body compared to a body that was also the subject of public scorn—an echo chamber of body shaming. But lastly, when will we learn to stop equating thinness with health/happiness? Of course, weight loss can be the result of positive change in habits, but guess what? So, can weight gain."
The author, who revealed in 2018 that she was sober after "misusing" benzodiazepines and was later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, added, "The pics I'm being compared to are from when I was in active addiction with undiagnosed illness. In the 4 years since, I've gotten sober and begun my life as someone who aspires toward health and not just achievement. These changes have allowed me to be the kind of sister/friend/daughter that I want to be and yes—meet my husband (who, by the way, doesn't recognize me in those old photos because he sees how dimmed my light was)."
"I say this for any other person whose appearance has been changed with time, illness or circumstance," she concluded her post. "It's okay to live in your present body without treating it as transitional. I am, and I'm really enjoying it. Love you all."
Lena's heartfelt post garnered tons of supportive comments from fans and fellow celebs, praising the actress for her words. As actress Lily Collins, who has herself been open about her past struggle with an eating disorder, put it, "This is just so beautifully said. And I thank you for putting it out there. Sending so much love and so many hugs to you both. From one newlywed to another."