Swift credits Dunham feminism in a new interview for her fresh approach on the matter. The actress did not waste time and returned the compliment to the young pop diva.
Taylor Swift credits Lena Dunham for helping her better understand feminism in a new interview with The Guardian, that surfaced online on Friday. The “I Knew You Were Trouble” singer says that when she was younger, she thought that feminists hated men.
After becoming friends with the creator of HBO series Girls, and observing her involvement in women’s causes, she learned a great deal about the true meaning of feminism. The “Everything Has Changed” artist told The Guardian‘s Hermione Hoby:
“As a teenager, I didn’t understand that saying you’re a feminist is just saying that you hope women and men will have equal rights and equal opportunities. What it seemed to me, the way it was phrased in culture, society, was that you hate men. And now, I think a lot of girls have had a feminist awakening because they understand what the word means. For so long it’s been made to seem like something where you’d picket against the opposite sex, whereas it’s not about that at all. Becoming friends with Lena – without her preaching to me, but just seeing why she believes what she believes, why she says what she says, why she stands for what she stands for – has made me realize that I’ve been taking a feminist stance without actually saying so.”
On Sunday, Dunham took to Twitter to praise the pop music star’s progress on feminism. The 28-year-old screenwriter went as far as calling Swift one of her sheroes. The This Is 40 actress wrote:
Applause for @taylorswift13’s spot on definition of feminism (and NOT because she mentions me).
Jack Antonoff’s girlfriend added:
Taylor recognizes that at its core it’s not about radicalism or rage, but equality. Her willingness to own the term means much to many…She’s been my feminist role model for a long time. And I cannot fucking wait for her VMA performance. When someone grows, changes and shows their vulnerability and evolution publicly… That’s a gift they give to us that we should honor.
Dunham and Swift have become very close in recent months, they even spent the July 4th weekend together. While her statement is laudable and nice, she deserves more credit for her own deeds pushing for equality.
In 2008, Swift was very involved in the Every Woman Counts campaign that encouraged young women to make their voices heard when it comes to voting. Swift’s past actions seem to suggest that she was always on the right side of the battle for equality.
The 24-year-old musician performed her new song “Shake It Off” at Sunday’s MTV’s Video Music Awards 2014 that took place in Inglewood, California. You can watch the performance below.
