Lena Dunham’s “Girls” is an ode to the struggles of navigating modern day life for women in their early twenties. The comedy-drama series follows the lives of four young women living in the heart of New York City coping with adulthood, relationships, sexuality, drugs and everything associated with being young and making mistakes.

Written and directed by Lena Dunham, the show reflects the excitement but also the uncomfortable and awkward experiences that all twenty-somethings face.

Hannah Horvath, played by Lena Dunham herself, is an aspiring yet lazy writer living with recurring OCD and a tendency to participate in the abusive cycle of a “friends-with-benefits” relationship with the typical douchebag that most women endure sometime in their lives.

Her parents’ sudden decision to cut her off financially sends Hannah’s world of privilege and economic security into a tailspin, leaving her to conquer the real world independently. Though Hannah struggles constantly to balance her chaotic life, she draws support and love from her equally imperfect group of friends.

What makes this series unlike the iconic Sex and the City is that Dunham does not glamorize the lives of Hannah and her friends. She instead portrays their tumultuous womanhood through an un-romanticized documentary style showcasing of their sex lives, addictions, frustrations, anger, triumphs and ultimately their power.

Dunham’s characters are not one-dimensional; they are complex and grow in unexpected ways. Many of the main characters are struggling artists who seem lost and frustrated at the beginning, but towards the end of the series find themselves in surprising new circumstances, changing them for better or worse.

The personalities of Dunham’s characters are flawed and at the same time lovable, making this one of the facets that make this show so popular. The characters are intended to get a reaction out of the audience; using the fluid and sometimes banal plot lines provide more meaning through the evolution of each character.

The reason this series has such a broad appeal and is widely discussed among millennials, is due to its many relatable themes. While the series is focused on the girls’ relationships with one another, their friendships often fluctuate and unravel either at the hands of scandal or petty disagreements.

For many viewers, Girls is emblematic of their lives, whereas women of different racial and socioeconomic backgrounds would beg to differ. Dunham has received a lot of rightful criticism for the lack of racial and economic representation in her show. While it is true that the show is mostly about white, privileged women, she successfully appeals to a large audience of women that can commiserate and even laugh at the awkward misfortunes of the girls.

Girls is a real and revolutionary exemplification of what it means to find oneself in contemporary society.

For those who have not yet experienced this series, now is the time to catch up on all five seasons in preparation for the sixth and final season, which will be released on Feb. 17 and can be found on HBO or HBO Go.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fDkZ6nM_DU

Anisha Brady can be reached at [email protected] or @theorion_arts on Twitter.