Few television shows have made a splash quite like HBO’s Girls. This comes as no surprise, with a writer and director like Lena Dunham (who received a blind script deal with HBO at the ripe age of 23) at the helm. Over the last five+ seasons, Girls has shined a pretty bright light on some of the biggest issues going on around us that also happen to be the most ignored. Topics like body acceptance, mental health, the difficulty of “adulting,” and drug abuse are just a few of the many subjects that Dunham has successfully brought to the public eye.
Just as many of us are about to do, Hannah, Jessa, Shoshanna, and Marnie are only trying to brave post-college reality one screw up at a time. The show is realistic, relatable, and utterly frustrating; but hey, so is life. So who’s going to make us feel okay about ourselves when we make mistakes now that the sixth and final season of Girls is in our midst?
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The legacy that Lena Dunham and the rest of the cast and crew of Girls will leave behind in a few short weeks is sure to be our guide. The show opened the door to millennial television that doesn’t mask what’s really going on in the world with a glitzy wardrobe and scripted drama. Finally, something on TV was honest, raw, and admittedly unattractive at times.
Arguably the greatest takeaway from the show is the conversation it has started. A conversation based on accepting your body no matter what shamers may say, showing the inevitable difficulties that result from longtime friendships, and proving that it’s okay to be not okay and make mistakes. In order to allow us mega-fans of Girls to keep a little bit of its magic, it’s our duty to keep these conversations flowing.
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To make this task a little bit less daunting, we’ve come up with a few easy ways to tackle it. First, never be afraid to speak up when something in conversation makes you uncomfortable or you feel strongly about it. These are the times when your voice is most significant, don’t ignore them. Second, don’t judge your friends. You never know what they’re going through and sometimes they just need your unwavering support. Third, do the things that you love despite what society or those around you might say. You’re the only one living your own life, and if trouble arises from your decisions, embrace it.
When Lena Dunham pitched Girls to HBO, there was nothing like it on television. Now, Girls has sparked a whole new genre with shows like The Mindy Project and Love. While the Girls-era may be coming to an end in only a few short weeks, that in no way means that its legacy will end with it. Because there’s a little bit (or a lot a bit) of Girls in all of us.
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Watch the final episodes of Girls on HBO every Sunday night at 10 p.m. EST.
