Girls will be Girls

HBO is airing a new series on Sundays called Girls. The half-hour segments are written and directed by Lena Dunham, age 25, who also stars in the show along with 3 other young women. I am NOT the intended audience for this Gen-Y show. It is for the twenty-something group that it sets out to define and lampoon.

The initial episode highlights a conversation between Hannah and her parents. They have come to NYC to tell their daughter that after 2 post-college years, she can no longer expect them to subsidize her. They have been paying her rent, health insurance, and cell phone bill to the tune of $1100 per month. Hannah protests that she is so close to the life that she wants to live. Indeed, she may be “the voice” of her generation. She has almost completed a book of essays. The sense of entitlement is exaggerated, but interestingly, all of the young women who are featured in this show are the daughters of famous people. So they are entitled already. Hannah argues with her parents by saying, “But I’m an only child. It’s not as if I’m depleting all of your resources.” Her mother responds with, “But we’re professors!”

The next day, Hannah goes into work (an unpaid internship at a publishing house) and says to her boss, “My situation has changed. I can no longer work for no pay.” Her boss responds with, “We’re really going to miss you, Hannah.”

Here are my thoughts: there is something very wrong with a society that pays sub-standard salaries or nothing at all to college grads, knowing parents will subsidize the rent in the country’s most expensive city. I have heard about this situation from children of friends and relatives, and I know it is true. There is something very wrong with young people who have been raised and educated by loving parents who do not want to be independent of their parents in their post-college lives. As Baby Boomer parents, we need to let go (or kick out if necessary).

The second and third segments of Girls focus more on the sexual lives of young women. To me, the exploitation by young men is equally disappointing. Gen Y people are plugged in 24/7, so “he doesn’t even answer my texts” is a pretty pathetic commentary on a “friend with benefits.” Where is the responsibility, the commitment, the respect that we would want to see for young women?

Lena Dunham is very talented and HBO is cutting edge. When I watch this show, I feel as if I am viewing a train wreck. I don’t want to see it, but at the same time, I can’t stop watching.