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Girls

It’s an incredibly frustrating aspect of reality that women and girls face constant public sexual harassment daily.

In Tuesday’s report written by MPs on the women and qualities committee in Britain, the issue has now been labelled “urgent” following a nine-month enquiry on the matter.

The report is insisting that the UK government take immediate and effective action to attempt to create a safer public environment for women.

From exercising in public parks and frequenting nightclubs or bars to simply utilising our city’s public transport, women can almost almost claim to have felt the burden of danger in communal spaces of our communities.

Experiences have more recently been shared of extensive experiences of sexual assault and harassment, and there are more accounts than ever of crimes being committed against women in public.

France has recently introduced a law against street harassment which results in on-the-spot fines for predatory comments and harassment such as sexualised remarks and wolf-whistling, after a woman was viciously attacked by a man for confronting him about his offensive behaviour towards her.

The committee has “heard evidence of widespread problems” of both men and boys “sexually harassing women and even girls on buses and trains, in bars and clubs, in online spaces and at university, in parks and on the street.”

The subject of school uniforms was also mentioned in the report, written by cross-party MPs, testifying that girls in their school attires are pressurised to avoid risky situations which "keeps women and girls unequal".

Street harassment has been described in the document as “relentless and becomes ‘normalised’ as girls grow up, contributing to a wider negative cultural effect on society.”

The committee also sets out seven steps which they aim to take in the report, among them is the proposal to force train and bus operators and publican landlords to take tougher measures towards fighting sexual harassment on their premises.

It also requests a public information campaign which is specifically designed to change attitudes, akin to road safety campaigns and first aid programmes.

The British Home Office also states that they view the epidemic problem as a “key priority,” and are devising an updated “Violence against Women and Girls” strategy and scheme.

Writing on public pavements in chalk has become a new pacifistic method for women to fight back, to feel safe in their own cities.

Regardless of government promises to eliminate such prevalent behaviour entirely by 2030, the Women and Equalities Committee concludes negatively that there is currently "no evidence of any programme to achieve this".

Twitter users especially are expressing anger at how ‘obvious’ the headline is, and that there is not a single mention of men in the article, who are by-in-large the major perpetrators of sexual harassment. 

It remains to be seen whether improvements will take place which will finally allow women and girls to feel safe, but the reaction online to the BBC’s headline has been scathing.

Let's hope governments worldwide bring in sharp ways to tackle this highly concerning problem which is so engrained in our culture that many of us have become completely desensitised to it. Safety is a right, not a privilege.

Have a look at BBC’s 100 Women I know video on Street Harassment here:

The Bristol Zero Tolerance group has also written an informative guide on how to respond to street harassment, which you can read here.

Stay safe, gals.

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The fierce Lena Dunham is fighting for women everywhere, one nude photo at a time.

The influencer celebrated the nine-month anniversary of her hysterectomy with gorgeous photos of her body.

Posted on Instagram, her revealing portraits exposed the rawness of her painful experience over the past few years in a way that has resonated with women everywhere.

“I’ve never celebrated the 9 month anniversary of anything and I realized last night why that number feels so funny- I won’t ever do it the way I planned to.

“My body is mostly healed and every day I find a new bruise on my heart, but today I offer myself gratitude: from the most pained place, I somehow knew to choose myself.” 

 

Today is National Leathercraft Day, National Relaxation Day and National Lemon Merengue Pie Day. It’s also the 9 month anniversary of my hysterectomy. I’ve never celebrated the 9 month anniversary of anything and I realized last night why that number feels so funny- I won’t ever do it the way I planned to. My body is mostly healed and every day I find a new bruise on my heart, but today I offer myself gratitude: from the most pained place, I somehow knew to choose myself. The purest glint of who we are and know we can be is always available to us, calm and true at our center. My friend Paul named my uterus Judy, and when she was being uppity we called her out, hence the tattoo on my ribs, which hurt like fuck even through the pain meds: #RIPJudy. Today I give thanks for Judy, for her graceful exit and for this body, which is stronger than I’ve ever given it credit for. Happy Giving Birth To Myself Day.

A post shared by Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) on

The American actress was diagnosed with endometriosis, a condition where cells of endometrial-like tissue migrate outside of the uterus and attach to other places in the body.

These cells are structured to break down and bleed, but they cannot escape through a period if mislocated. This results in extreme pain that varies as hormone levels change, according to Endometriosis UK.

The condition affects one in ten women in the UK, and along with agonising pain, it often causes infertility.

After three hospitalisations within a year, Lena was unable to bear the terrible symptoms any further and decided to undergo a hysterectomy. She wrote about her life-changing experience in a moving letter.

“All along the way, a massive fear of mine was ‘being discovered,’ that someone would decide I wasn't strong enough for my work or my life because of what I dealt with physically and emotionally. But I am strong because of what I've dealt with.”

 

A post shared by Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) on

Now, the Girls star is reflecting on endometriosis in honour of her hysterectomy anniversary with a powerful statement.

“The purest glint of who we are and know we can be is always available to us, calm and true at our center,” she said in celebration of her health. Lena urged women to remember, no matter what we are going through, that we can always find ourselves through the pain and trauma. Somewhere buried under all that hardship is a strong and powerful woman capable of digging herself out.

The actress explained her friend named her uterus Judy, and Lena has a tattoo in tribute to her lost, physical symbol of womanhood that reads ‘RIP Judy’.

“Today I give thanks for Judy, for her graceful exit and for this body, which is stronger than I’ve ever given it credit for. Happy Giving Birth To Myself Day.”

But the courageous actress is clear to convey that a woman's femininity does not lie in her levels of estrogen or her functioning uterus. It is defined by her strength to carry on and fight for her true self to shine through whatever obstacles life throws her way.

Lena continues to be a bold advocate for women’s health and openly sharing about her chronic condition has helped raise awareness of endometriosis and it’s painful symptoms.

“I am no longer scared of my body,” she declared. “In fact, I listen to it when it speaks. I have no choice but to respect what it tells me, to respect the strength of its voice and the truth of my own.”

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Lena Dunham is facing criticism for standing behind Girls producer and writer Murray Miller. 

According to The Wrap, actress Aurora Perrineau claimed that Miller raped her in 2012, when she was just 17 years old

'At some point, I woke up in Murray’s bed naked,' she said, after consuming alcohol with Murray and some friends. 

 

A post shared by Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) on

 'He was on top of me having sexual intercourse with me. At no time did I consent to any sexual contact with Murray.'

Lena Dunham, who has spoken out with words of compassion for sexual assault victims previously, 

'While our first instinct is to listen to every woman’s story, our insider knowledge of Murray’s situation makes us confident that sadly this accusation is one of the 3pc of assault cases that are misreported every year,' a spokesperson for Lena Dunham told The Wrap.

'It is a true shame to add to that number, as outside of Hollywood women still struggle to be believed.'

'We stand by Murray and this is all we’ll be saying about this issue.'

Twitter is not too happy with Lena's response to the allegations:

 

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A lot of students try to get some real-life experience before they go out into the big bad world of work.

Sure, how many of us went on work experience in secondary school?!

Saying that, we either went off to our uncle's office, or to the local creche down the road. And, it was certainly nothing like Malia Obama's internship on the set of Girls.

Yep, in the summer of 2015, Malia, at just 17, worked on Lena Dunham's TV show, and finally, the actress has spilled the beans on how she got on.

Speaking to radio DJ Howard Stern, Lena said: "She's an angel. She was interning at HBO and they thought, what if she comes a couple days a week to the set of Girls?

"She loved the show, and I mean, obviously we weren't, like, making her go get our coffee. You're not going to send [the president's daughter] to get coffee.

"But she wanted to do all the jobs. That was the cool thing. She was totally enthusiastic."

Malia is set to start her first term at Harvard University this autumn, and has also just started an internship with Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.

We can see big things happening for this beauty.

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We only have a few more weeks until we say goodbye to Girls, but as it turns out, we shouldn't be bidding farewell forever, as a movie could be on the cards.

Fans of the show have been gearing up for its departure after almost five years, but along with sadness may come excitement as Lena wants the show to go feature-length.

 

A photo posted by Girls on HBO (@girlshbo) on

The Girls creator is pretty certain the flick will be coming to a cinema near you, but admits that it might be a while, because she wants the cast to grow and be in different places in their lives.

Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, Girls showrunner, Jenni Konner, said: “We feel like no one necessarily needs to hear from us right now. But if someone wants to do the movie, we'll do it.”

 

A photo posted by Girls on HBO (@girlshbo) on

“I'd just want to leave enough space so that we are finding them in a super different place than we left them," said Lena in a separate interview.

We're already excited about this.

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Girls actress Jemima Kirke has split from her husband of seven years, Michael Mosberg.

According to People, the couple have gone their separate ways, yet it is unclear as to why.

Related image

Jemima married Michael, a former lawyer, in 2009 and they have two children together; their daughter Rafaella Isreal, and son Memphis.

Last February, the Girls actress opened up to The Telegraph and said she met her husband while in rehab.

We hope the split is amicable and their children remain in a loving environment throughout the break-up.

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Lena Dunham isn't shy when it comes to showcasing her body on her hit TV show Girls.

However, getting the fashion industry to accept a regular sized, cellulite speckled physique isn't always the easiest endeavour.

This week Lena is praising Glamour for showing off her gorgeous, un-retouched body on the cover of it's February edition.

The cover sees Lena posing with her Girls co-stars Jemina Kirke, Allison Williams and Zosia Mamet, decked out in Spice Girls-esque platform booties and rainbow hued ensembles from Marc Jacob's new season. 

Most magazines air brush out any signs of imperfection, from cellulite to moles to less than symmetrical features (Lena was previously caught up in a photoshop drama with Vogue), but February's Glamour cover shows Lena just as she is, cellulite and all. 

Taking to Instagram, Lena praised the fashion tome for their inclusivity and penned a heartfelt caption about her experiences with body shaming. 

"Throughout my teens I was told, in no uncertain terms, that I was f**king funny looking. Potbelly, rabbit teeth, knock knees — I could never seem to get it right and it haunted my every move," she wrote.

"I posed as the sassy confident one, secretly horrified and hurt by careless comments and hostility. Let's get something straight: I didn't hate what I looked like — I hated the culture that was telling me to hate it."

"When my career started, some people celebrated my look but always through the lens of 'Isn't she brave? Isn't it such a bold move to show THAT body on TV?'"

 

A photo posted by Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) on

"Then there were the legions of trolls who made high school teasing look like a damned joke with the violent threats they heaped on, the sickening insults that made me ache for teen girls like me who might be reading my comments."

"Well, today this body is on the cover of a magazine that millions of women will read, without photoshop, my thigh on full imperfect display," she continued.

"Whether you agree with my politics, like my show or connect to what I do, it doesn't matter — my body isn't fair game. No one's is, no matter their size, colour, gender identity, and there's a place for us all in popular culture to be recognised as beautiful."

 

A photo posted by Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) on

Lena's cover is getting lots of positive feedback online, with fans rejoicing over the display of body positivity.

However, like all images featuring women who chose to detach themselves from typical beauty norms, the image is also garnering hate from online trolls. 

"Haters are gonna have to get more intellectual and creative with their disses in 2017 because none of us are going to be scared into muumuus by faceless basement dwellers, or cruel blogs, or even our partners and friends," said the star. Hear hear!

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Girls was literally a show that spoke to us like no other.

It wasn't about the glitz and glam of living on the Upper East Side or trying to get boys from The OC to like us, it was about real-life ups and downs and showed us that our lives don't have to be perfect all of the time.

So after six seasons, it'll be sad to see it leave our TV screens.

 

A photo posted by Allison Williams (@aw) on

But one person that is particularly upset about the departure is Allison Williams who played Marnie on the show.

She took to Instagram today to share an emotional goodbye.

"Marnie has officially gone wherever all characters go when we stop watching them. And I couldn't feel luckier that I got to play her.

"This lady, @lenadunham, gave me everything. She gave me the most incredible challenges and adventures and the opportunity to know and love our GIRLS family.

"She also gave me her fierce friendship, wit, love, and loyalty, all while making me giggle on a constant basis.

"Sitting next to Lena while being directed by @jennikonner, it all felt completely right. Then I immediately burst into some pretty rare tears, because it hit me that I don't know what my adult life looks like without Girls."

No… We didn't shed a tear…

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Picking up a fabulous – and affordable – present for the small one in your life isn't always easy. 

But we were pretty bowled over by the cuteness of these pinafores from Penneys.

A steal at just €14, they come in four colours perfect for autumn: denim, green, black, and burgundy. 

We're sold!

 

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It seems that Pro Green is wasting no time getting over Millie Mackintosh.

He's currently celebrating being signed on to the Sony record label, and it seems the party is going to go on ALL weekend.

The rapper took to Twitter, and in a now-deleted tweet said: "Daniella and Emily, didn’t get your numbers. If you happen to be on Twitter there’s a BBQ tomorrow shout me.”

Meanwhile, it looks like Millie is having a ball in her rekindled relationship with Hugo Taylor.

The couple were non-stop posting pictures of their holidays on Instagram during the week, and it looks like things are going well between them.

All is fair in love…

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Actor Nick Lashaway has died at the age of 28.

The actor appeared in season 2 of the hit TV show Girls and was described as "talented, funny and kind."

Lena Dunham has led in the tributes to the actor following a car crash that took his life in Massachusetts on Sunday.

In her tribute she said: "We were so lucky to have him as a part of our Girls family when he played Frank in episode 207. We will always remember the week we shared with him, his playful smile, his easy instincts, how much he made us laugh."

Nick also appeared in The X Files, The 40-Year-Old Virgin and The Last Song.

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Now, here's an odd celeb pairing.

Mullingar man Niall Horan has his fair share of celebrity pals – he's hung out with everyone from Selena Gomez to Ariana Grande over the last few months.

But one celebrity we'd never have paired the One Direction star with is writer and actress Lena Dunham, the mastermind behind HBO's Girls.

Turns out we were missing a trick though, as the two have indeed been having the chats on social media. Well, they've had one exchange at least.

Things kicked off when Niall tweeted the official Girls account on Monday to pass on his praise for the "absolutely hilarious" show:

And while Niall seems to be a big fan of Lena's work, we're not sure the feeling is mutual, as her response was definitely a dig at 1D's lyrics.

Posting a screenshot of the tweet to her Instagram, Lena ripped off the lyrics to Perfect, adding in a few key Girls references.

"But if you like having panic attacks up in hotel rooms / And if you like a lot of complex fear stuff around men and sex," she wrote.

"If you like to do the things you’re too ashamed to admit to anyone but your therapist / Then baby, I’m perfect." 

Oh, and the best part? She doesn't even follow him on Twitter, at least not if her screenshot is telling the truth:

Hmmm… wonder if this is Lena's revenge for Harry Styles' d*ckhead treatment to her bestie Taylor Swift?

Either way, there's no reply from Niall as yet. Hopefully he saw the funny side…

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