New to 'Girls'? Get Ready to Deal with Hannah's Wardrobe, Mental Meltdowns, and Nudity

Not being a regular HBO subscriber, or in possession of a borrowed password, I first encountered “Girls” as a marathon of Season 2 during a free promo weekend. I was already aware of the utterly cruel criticism of Lena Dunham’s physical appearance and the fact that some viewers grew weary of the characters by its sophomore season. Still, I wasn’t ready for the show I was about to experience.

Although I don't agree with it, I somewhat understand all the public criticism for Dunham's body. Name a show "Girls," air it on a premium cable network at night, and people like Howard Stern may have certain expectations. The thing is, Dunham's character, Hannah, has this haunting ability to sear her experiences into the viewer's brain. In particular, her wardrobe, mental meltdowns, and nudity bring the world of "Girls" to life.  

1. Hannah Dresses Like a Toddler
It’s refreshing that Hannah isn’t pouring herself into a scuba suit of shapewear to fit some supposed standard of beauty. I can embrace her comfy shoes, warm tights, unflattering skirts, and endless supply of sleeveless tops. But I draw the line at her playsuit. In case your self-preservation instincts filtered that image from your brain, here’s a refresher from the episode featuring her depressing encounter with Doctor Joshua.

via thoughtshewasjamesdeanforaday

Where did that outfit come from? Did she make it in her middle school sewing class? Is it from the wardrobe for an abandoned sequel to “Honey, I Blew Up the Kid”? The problem isn’t that it’s unflattering or unstylish—that’s the norm for her—it’s that the distractingly hideous and impractical outfit took up so much screen time. The uncomfortable fit nearly gave me a sympathetic wedgie. Did she have to unbutton that top and untie the knot every time she needed to visit the loo? No wonder she’s struggling with “daggery” urine from UTIs.

via unemployedonpurpose

2. Hannah Makes You Feel Her Misery in the Most Unsympathetic Way
Some characters are so out of sync with the norm, we know they will regularly endure some form of humiliation, disaster, or ridicule. “Freaks and Geeks” was built on this theme. Even when it felt as though the characters seemed to deserve that embarrassment, there was always at least some vague sense of compassion or camaraderie as they braved situations that boiled down to universal life lessons and experiences.

“Girls” creates painfully palpable experiences that ultimately have no power because the characters don’t elicit my sympathy. Watching Hannah struggle with a writing deadline and awkwardly try to scoot across the hardwood floor while her bare thighs kept her anchored in place was mesmerizing. Certain that something was about to happen, I stared at the screen. Then she got a gnarly splinter in her rump. Ouch! But not really, because I didn’t care anymore. It quickly devolved into another Earth-shattering saga in the frustrating world of “Girls.”

At this point, she’s sort of like a “Seinfeld” character. Yep, she’s the new George Costanza--some weird amalgamation of selfish, uncaring behavior coupled with an intense sense of ego and neediness. But the gang of friends on “Seinfeld” kept it funny while “Girls” wallows in misery like an old Alanis Morissette song. How am I supposed to laugh at that?

via noahhateseverything

3. Hannah’s Nudity Draws You into Her World
So, why does Dunham have so much naked time? It breaks the barrier between the viewers and the character as she candidly exposes both her body and emotions. At times, it almost conveys the awkwardness that sums up Hannah’s entire life experience. But, as Laird declared in the Season 2 finale, there’s something rotten about her insides. Well, maybe not rotten. It would probably be more interesting if she was dark and twisty. Instead, she’s so simple and shallow that I’m growing weary of looking.

Season 3 of "Girls" premieres on HBO tonight.