Lena Dunham Weight Gain And Her Journey to Self-Love After Being Criticized.

Key Takeaways

Lena Dunham weight gain and her self-acceptance is motivational for many. Even though she has been criticized for her weight gain, she has been vocal about her situation.

What if gaining weight always comes with a bunch of hate comments and criticism? Should we generalize body shaming as the latest trend? Women tend to gain weight if their hormones are not in place. Lena Dunham was no exception too. After undergoing a hysterectomy (a surgical procedure where a woman’s uterus, all of it, or just a part, is removed due to some underlying illness) at 31, she started putting on weight. 

The fact that she would never be able to give birth to a child after her hysterectomy was a hard pill to digest. Should one blame the endometriosis she had been fighting for a decade? Even if the American writer and producer tried hard to get back in shape, it seemed like a Herculean Task! 

Lena Dunham Weight Gain. What Could Have Made Her Gain?

While her weight gain after the hysterectomy was on one side of the coin, the most probable reason was on the other. Only in 2019, after much suffering and dilemma, did the American writer reveal that she was diagnosed with a rare disease – connective tissue disorder – the Ehler Danlos Syndrome.

While the severity of this disease varies from person to person, it does come with its share of hyperextensibility of joints. It also causes severe pain at times. The most preferred group of drugs that reduce inflammatory pain is steroids. Steroids are anti-inflammatory; they reduce inflammatory pain and provide relief.

As expected, the most common complication of steroids is weight gain. The weight gained might be difficult to lose, and steroids also influence human hormones! While no amount of exercise or diet could get Lena Dunham back in shape, one can probably blame steroids for it.

Lena Dunham Weight Gain

How Did She Respond to Hate Comments? Did Her Audience Question Her for Her Weight Gain?

It is mostly about keeping ourselves happy and less about keeping everyone else happy. The truth is that we cannot cover the entire Earth with a red carpet. Nonetheless, we can always wear slippers and protect ourselves! 

While her audience seemed slightly disappointed with her weight gain, the American writer slammed the door against such hate comments. Talking to the New York Times, Lena Dunham shares her experience of being shamed for her weight. Needless to say, she did not keep calm. That makes her even more attractive.

She advocated for her rights and made it clear that people are free and should be allowed to wear what they want! One should not be ill-treated based on their looks or should never be judged by what they wear. She shared that when she posted a picture wearing a miniskirt on her Instagram. Many flooded her account with negative comments. Even with a huge 3 million followers, it is true that haters are everywhere.

“The thing that’s been really interesting is how angry it makes people when you dress like yourself,” Ms. Dunham said. “It’s not, ‘Oh, I don’t like that dress.’ It’s, ‘How dare you?’ And it’s fascinating how much of that comes from other women with bodies that look like mine, she said.

It’s unfortunate to see this happening when one must be practicing empathy and to add-on when women must be standing up for each other.

Lena Dunham’s Journey to Self-Love!

The Ehler-Danlos syndrome, hysterectomy, and her health issues took a toll on Lena’s mental health. No wonder battling all of these and emerging victorious needs strength and determination. This is when Lena started loving herself and accepting herself for how she was. She started wearing her scars as beautiful stars. Her self-esteem improved with her journey toward self-love and acceptance.

The actress married in September 2021, and her musician husband, Luis Felber, took pride in who she was from within. Sharing a picture on social media with her husband, the actress admits that she was previously addicted to drugs, and her endometriosis worsened it. Now that she can find her solace in her husband, there is no turning back in Lena’s journey towards self-love. Isn’t it love when someone accepts us for who we are rather than what we appear to be?

Lena’s Vision on Empowering Women – What’s Her Say?

Lina wishes to empower women to be themselves. She is not shy to come out bold and has strong opinions. Speaking to People Magazine, the actress slams the door at those who criticized her after her weight gain.

“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,” she said.

Conclusion

Lena’s story is an inspiration to many who struggle with pleasing people. While it is not a bad idea always, knowing the limitations sets up the game for the better. It can be challenging to accept ourselves for how we look after suffering a traumatic illness or with a physical deformity.

But isn’t that what life is about? One must love themselves for who they are from within. To conclude, why seek external validation from outside? When all we must be doing is looking for it on the inside! 

About The Author

Dr. SHYAMALA PEESAPATI

Having written healthcare content for 5+ years, Dr. Shyamala Peesapati finds her deep love in writing. Having a remarkable experience in content and copywriting along with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) she is turning to make an impact in the healthcare community, one article at a time. The desire to write healthcare content was born out of her purpose to create awareness about rare diseases. A dentist by profession, she also has her own blog www.therareworldofficial.com/blog where she is trying to be the voice for the rare diseases community. "Of all the things I would loovveee to do, writing tops the list", she says!

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