Lena Dunham Sheds All Her Clothes to Send a Strong Message About Her Body: "Love It All"

Actress takes a nude photo in the name of positive body image

If there's anyone to turn to for some comforting words about body image, look no further than Lena Dunham. 

The Girls creator sent everyone into the weekend with yet another empowering message about loving the skin you're in—and believing everyone else does, too. While she often stripped down in character as Hannah Horvath on her hit HBO series, she touched on her private defense mechanisms for baring it all and why she's ready to let those go. 

"I spent so many years loving my body but thinking it wasn't lovable by others- its sole purpose was to be fodder for jokes. I performed the insult so no one else could," she began in a candid message on Instagram along with a photo of her bare torso censored with emojis of pears and a honey pot. "I don't regret any of it- that's my art and that was my truth."

A post shared by Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) on Jun 15, 2017 at 8:18pm PDT

"But now, at age 31, having been through hell and back with my health and other people's perceptions of my physicality, I feel deeply comfortable with the idea that this pear-shaped pot of honey is equally good for making people laugh and laying out like a Suicide Girl circa 2004," she continued before concluding, "Love it all."

The 31-year-old Golden Globe winner has been just as public of an advocate about her endometriosis diagnosis and its effects as she has been about body image. 

Last month, she took Us Weekly to task when the magazine included a photo of her on its cover with the promise of "20 Slimdown Diet Tips Stars Are Using." However, Dunham made it clear that she did not want to be included in such an advertisement, particularly because any of her apparent weight loss had stemmed from her medical conditions and the toll of current political affairs.

Her personal tips included "1. anxiety disorder" and "2. resultant constant nausea" as well as "5. abdominal adhesions pinning ovary below uterus" and "10. a quiet rage that replaces need for food with need for revenge."

"I have no tips I give no tips I don't want to be on this cover cuz it's diametrically opposed to everything I've fought my whole career for and it's not a compliment to me because it's not an achievement thanx," she concluded. 

Keep sharing your message, Lena, because we're all listening.