Lena Dunham is not cool with Kanye West anymore after his now-famous “Famous” music video and like anyone who’s pissed about anything, she penned a social media post. And for the first time… I have some thoughts that align with hers. She wrote a lengthy preface that covered all her bases:
Like many pop culture addicted Americans, I wait with bated breath for what Kanye West will do next. Aside from his Twitter mayhem, he has created some really “next level s**t” as the kids would say. I could also happily watch Kim Kardashian West chip the paint off a window ledge for hours and be fascinated. I admire that whole family, love the way they depict women as better in numbers and masters of their own destiny. I’d spend all summer at Kamp Kardashian. But it’s possible to hold two competing thoughts in your mind and the Famous video is one of the more disturbing “artistic” efforts in recent memory.
Disturbing? Yeah, seeing Bill Cosby naked in bed did cause me to do some double takes and send a long inquisitive text message to an unsuspecting boy. I worship Kanye West in the only way a feminist with hang-ups on male-centric worship can, which basically just means I like him and find him fascinating. He’s made some shitty decisions in defending Cosby and continuing to work with actual rapist Ian Connor, but who’s to say the video isn’t a comment on the continued conversation about these particular figures? Already we’ve had some better conversation than we thought possible. All inspired by a devoted contrarian. That’s my preface to the rest of Lena’s proselytizing.
I was raised in the art world by a dad who painted aggro scenes of sexuality and war and a mom who, ironically enough, has photographed some butt naked life-sized dolls of her own. I live for the nude rabble rousing of Carolee Schneemann and Hannah Wilke, for Kathy Acker’s arty porn, for Paul McCarthy’s gnomes with butt plugs and Vito Acconci masturbating under the gallery floor and Carrie Mae Weems shedding a blinding light on the pleasures and terrors of black womanhood. If it’s been banned, I’ll probably love it. Because I know that art’s job is to make us think in ways that aren’t always tidy or comfortable. But this feels different.
Unlike a lot of Lena’s rants, this one shows a sign of heart and intellect. She’s captivatingly snarky, tackles all the conflicts I have within the video and she conveys her point eloquently. She caps it off cutely:
Y’all, I’m so sick of showing up to the party angry. But at least I brought cake.
Never apologize for your anger, Lena. You can read her post below.