Award-winning writer and actress Lena Dunham has written an apology to an American football player after being called out on social media for sexism and racial insensitivity.
On Friday, the Girls creator sent out on of her Lenny Letters emails in which she sat down for a conversation with comedian Amy Schumer. Their discussion covered a number of things, from Schumer’s audition for a role on Girls and her recent issues with comments made by a former staff writer on her sketch show Inside Amy Schumer, as well as gun control and texts from Jennifer Lawrence.
But when discussing the 2016 Met Gala in New York, remarks made by Dunham explaining what it was like to sit beside New York Giants player Odell Beckham Jr. sparked widespread and rampant criticism online.
“I was sitting next to Odell Beckham Jr., and it was so amazing because it was like he looked at me and determined I was not the shape of a woman by his standards,” Dunham said. “He was like, ‘That’s a marshmallow. That’s a child. That’s a dog.’ It wasn’t mean – he just seemed confused.
“The vibe was very much like, ‘Do I want to fuck it? Is it wearing a... yep, it’s wearing a tuxedo. I’m going to go back to my cell phone.’ It wasn’t like we were forced to be together, and he literally was scrolling Instagram rather than have to look at a woman in a bow tie. I was like, ‘”This should be called the Metropolitan Museum of Getting Rejected by Athletes.’”
On Twitter, the reaction was not positive, with many accusing Dunham of projecting her own sexualised thoughts onto Beckham Jr., whose reticence to engage in conversation could have been caused by many things.
Lena Dunham just really tried to slam Odell Beckham jr. Over a conversation she had with herself in her head ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜
— Anthony Morrow (@MrAnthonyMorrow) September 2, 2016
Lena Dunham yesterday: "I'm a feminist! Stop objectifying women!"
Lena Dunham today: "Odell Beckham is a sexist! He didn't objectify me!"
— John Binder (@JxhnBinder) September 2, 2016
First attributing her comments to her “sense of humour”, Dunham went on to apologise to Beckham Jr, in an Instagram post, saying sorry for her “narcissistic assumptions” about him without knowing “state of mind.” Citing her own insecurities, Dunham said she felt “terrible about it”, and acknowledging her error in ascribing “misogynistic thoughts to someone” she doesn’t know.
But a new week brought with it fresh problems for Dunham, albeit linked back to a tweet she sent in 2011, which surfaced again on Twitter and has come in for a barrage of criticism itself:
An uncool thought to have: "is that guy walking in the dark behind me a rapist? Never mind, he's Asian."
— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) July 12, 2011