"GIRLS" Just Wanna Have Fun

Lena Dunham and 'the ladies' are taking over Brooklyn, Manhattan and television screens around the nation. Find out why 'Girls' is so awkward (and SO awesome).

It’s May. You’ve just graduated college and have moved to New York City. The Big Apple. Opportunities are endless, right?

You have a roommate and you’re starting out with an unpaid internship. Money is tight, but you’re meeting new people and exploring everything the city has to offer. You come to realize that NYC truly is 'the city that never sleeps.' But then, suddenly, your parents decide to cut you off, your boyfriend stops calling you, and when you ask your boss to be paid at work, you end up jobless. All of this happens at a time in your life when you realize that YOU may be the voice of your generation (or at least of A generation).

This story may either sound familiar to you or it might just be what you worry your future holds. But it's exactly just that – a story. It’s based on a tale of four young women living, working and trying to find themselves post-grad in New York City. And it all takes place on HBO’s smash hit, “Girls.” The popular show chronicles the lives of twenty something’s as they try to settle in and adapt to new surroundings throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan.

The main female characters, Hannah, Marnie, Jessa and Shoshanna are popularly known as ‘the ladies.’

Hannah, an aspiring writer who began as an unpaid intern, is now an awkward barista with a terrible haircut. Her parents have cut her off and she has a boyfriend who basically treats her like dirt, which naturally entices her more. Marnie is Hannah’s best friend and roommate at the start of the show. She's a beautiful art gallery assistant, until she gets fired, and becomes a beautiful hostess who hates being a hostess.

The other protagonists, Jessa and Shoshanna, become roommates at the start of the series. Jessa, Shoshanna’s British cousin, arrives in NYC after traveling the world. She is an artsy, eclectic individual who doesn’t take crap from anyone. After a bad visit with her estranged father, Jessa makes a run for it and leaves mid-season. Shoshanna is the youngest and most impressionable of the girls; she’s still a student at New York University. She is an out virgin at the start of the show and makes references to her Jewish faith and her invaluable time at sleep away camp.

Dunham, who writes, produces, directs and stars in “Girls,” has arguably become one of the most creative women of Generation Y.

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Dunham’s career really began with her 2010 feature film, “Tiny Furniture,” which was filmed in her home in Lower Manhattan. The IFC film garnered major media attention and caught the eye of the talented producer/director Judd Apatow, creator of Knocked Up, Superbad, Step Brothers, Bridesmaids and any other successful comedy you can think of. Once Apatow saw “Tiny Furniture,” things moved quickly: he sent Dunham an email praising her work; Dunham told Apatow her thoughts for a TV pilot; then Apatow immediately wanted in on the project. And just like that, Dunham became one of the most relatable and socially inept characters to grace the HBO screen.

Dunham and “Girls” have challenged female viewers in a way this generation has never seen.

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The show has witty writing, wry humor, and perfect casting; it has a great combination of brilliance and discomfort. 'Girls' can help today’s generation of young women realize that all the weird crap that’s happening to you right now is also happening to everybody else. So, when you find yourself in an awkward situation, just think about what the 'ladies’ would do.