This Is What Lena Dunham Had to Say to Odell Beckham Jr. Following Her Met Gala Scandal
Girls star Lena Dunham just can’t seem to stop opening mouth and inserting foot!
The actress has most definitely had her fair share of controversial moments (we don’t even want to BEGIN to rehash her book scandal), and her latest snafu over a conversation with Amy Schumer (who handled a sexist heckler like a boss this week), which involved Lena making some rather un-PC remarks about her Met Gala dinnermate Odell Beckham Jr., has her taking to Instagram to issue an apology.
“I owe Odell Beckham Jr. an apology. Despite my bravado, I struggle at industry events (and in life) with the sense that I don’t rep a certain standard of beauty and so when I show up to the Met Ball surrounded by models and swan-like actresses it’s hard not to feel like a sack of flaming garbage. This felt especially intense with a handsome athlete as my dinner companion and a bunch of women I was sure he’d rather be seated with. But I went ahead and projected those insecurities and made totally narcissistic assumptions about what he was thinking, then presented those assumptions as facts. I feel terrible about it. Because after listening to a lot of criticism, I see how unfair it is to ascribe misogynistic thoughts to someone I don’t know AT ALL. Like, we have never met, I have no idea the kind of day he’s having or what his truth is. But most importantly, I would never intentionally contribute to a long and often violent history of the over-sexualization of black male bodies as well as false accusations by white women towards black men. I’m so sorry, particularly to OBJ, who has every right to be on his cell phone. The fact is I don’t know about his state of mind (I don’t know a lot of things) and I shouldn’t have acted like I did. Much love and thanks, Lena.”
Hmmm. While we certainly appreciate the sentiment, we can’t say we’re entirely sure we believe it’s heartfelt. Disregarding the fact that the chosen photo to accompany the apology seems just a tad too flippant for our taste (Hey, flowers die, it’s normal, right?), it was less than 24 hours ago that Lena was posting Tweets (that she has not deleted) that paint a very different picture than her apologetic rant. With inappropriate theories about trolls that only seem to fan the flames, she posted the following series of thoughts.
Troll theory: they get the most aggressive towards the women they want to fuck but know would easily destroy them 😍
— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) September 1, 2016
Um, yikes? Maybe not the best choice of words considering the issue at hand.
My story about him was clearly (to me) about my own insecurities as an average-bodied woman at a table of supermodels & athletes.
— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) September 2, 2016
Okay, fine, fair enough: She immediately followed it with this, however, suggesting that it was a joke for which she had no remorse.
It's not an assumption about who he is or an expectation of sexual attention. It's my sense of humor, which has kept me alive for 30 years.
— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) September 2, 2016
She then attempted to get some backup from gal pal Amy Schumer (Amy had not so much as a “like” for the comment, briefly posting her own musings on her page with a clip from O Brother Where Art Thou), before once more defending herself and her words regarding another fellow seatmate, Michael B. Jordan.
Glad the outrage machine roars on though, right @amyschumer?
— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) September 2, 2016
ps I'll try and dance myself onto @michaelb4jordan if I have the chance, even when I'm a married grandma. I'm a red blooded str8 woman!
— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) September 2, 2016
It’s kinnnnd of like watching a car crash.
Three hours ago, however, she was thanking Twitter user @xlnb for sharing his thoughts with her on the matter as the only apparent person to be able to shine some sort of light on the situation for her.
@lenadunham Glad we talked. I def hope this helps you in the future to listen and learn. Stay blessed.
— X (@XLNB) September 3, 2016
While we can’t say for sure whether Lena really did have a sudden epiphany regarding her snafu or is merely apologizing to appease the mob of angry Twitter users that have been steady coming for her since the story broke, we’ve got to say: It’s not a great look.
Maybe best to leave it at the apology, mmm, Lena?
(Photos via Jemal Countess/Getty)