Impact of Women's Voices: A Sociological Analysis of Self-Expression

This essay delves into the critical significance of women's voices and self-expression within contemporary society. The author uses Roxanne Gay's essay "The Audacity of Voice" as a foundation, alongside the work of Lena Dunham. The analysis highlights the importance of speaking up for one's beliefs, using social media as a platform for self-expression, and the need for women to assert themselves against societal wrongs. The essay examines Dunham's personal experiences and insights, emphasizing themes such as body image, mental health, and the power of female friendships. Through this analysis, the essay underscores the impact of women's voices in inspiring others to speak up and be heard, exploring the universal experiences and emotions that resonate with women across generations. The author draws on the work of multiple scholars to support the arguments presented.

Running head: Final
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Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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INTRODUCTION:
The thesis statement of this paper is the importance of being recognized and heard. The
chosen essay to work on is that of “The Audacity of Voice” written by Roxanne Gay (Duling,
2017). I have selected this article because through this article Roxanne Gay spreads her message
that one should speak up for what one believes in. There is nothing wrong in expressing oneself.
There is nothing wrong in expecting others to hear us. Everyone has the right to express
themselves and be recognized in this world.
DISCUSSION:
In the essay entitled, ‘Not That Kind of Girl’, Lena Dunham attempts to articulate her
voice. Her voice towards specific issues reflects vigour and clarity. Lena Dunham’s writing is
reflective and extremely personal and is also engaging as she writes about love, friendship
among other factors. She articulates in a bold manner in order to drive home a message
(McRobbie, 2015). Through this article, Lena Dunham tells the world how she feels. She also
elaborates on why women in this society need to take a stand against the wrong happenings in
society. She urges and inspires young women to write and share their experiences, as writing
about experiences helps a person to grow and it has a profound impact on a person later in life
when the person grows up to be an adult. Lena Dunham also speaks about the importance on
why women need to have a voice of their own for words saves one from drowning.
My chosen topic is speaking up for what I believe in. It is to note that speaking up is
equal to making one’s voice heard by the common public. In this article, Lena Dunham tells her
parents not to freak out on her as she might become the voice of her generation. She might take

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the stand that is necessary for the women in this society. What I personally believe is, in this
modern world, more and more women ought to take a stand for themselves against the wrongs
that are done to them, and internet and social media is the best platform for self -expression.
Social media and the internet in this generation play a significant role in promoting everything
whether it is business, relationship, feelings, and status. It is the best platform through which
people can make their voices heard. Lena Dunham is one of the most progressive individual who
is not scared to articulate her thoughts. Lena Dunham shows us how she has been wronged and
how she has aggrieved others.
Dunham attempts to generate self-awareness through truthiness by recounting the
traumatic experience of rape that happened to her. Lena Dunham’s voice reflects a person who is
trying to come to terms with the culture of rape in society. Her observations about the incident
reflect the voice of every woman in every generation (Nash & Grant, 2015).
Watching Lena Dunham evolve from a fragile being into an intelligent and a polished
role model for the women of today is truly inspiring. She inspires us and helps us to stand up
with our head held high. She is our modern day oracle. I have learned four critical insights from
her. The first includes the fact that we should not let society and the social media define our
beauty. What society considers beautiful should not affect us and we should not blindly follow
societal trends. Lena Dunham shows us that intelligence is very important so is having a great
sense of humour. A high level of confidence also adds a positive dimension to one’s personality
and is equally important. The second thing I have learnt from Lena Dunham is that we should
walk the talk. She does much more than just talking about the cause that she cares about and
believes in. Lena Dunham is a passionate person and her passion drives her action. The third
lesson that I have learnt from Lena Dunham is that it is entirely okay to be a little crazy. She also

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throws light on the fact that mental illness is something that people in this society still shy away
from talking about and there are many people who refrain from talking about this and tend to
hide it in fear of the social stigma that is attached to mental illness. Last but not the least, the
fourth lesson that I have learnt from Lena Dunham is keeping our friends close. The power of
female friendships empowers women.
In the series entitled ‘Girls’ Hannah Horvath speaks for herself when she says “I don’t
want to freak you out, but I think that I may be the voice of my generation or at least a voice of a
generation.” This statement ruffled a few feathers and created a heated atmosphere causing many
people to ask themselves why the person Hanna Horvath could make such claims. This shows
that for a large section of people in society, the voices of young women in society do not matter.
Thus, one will explore the voice of women in society, how they express their opinions and voices
in society and the necessity for women to speak their voices in society, believe in themselves and
stand up for what they believe in, thereby providing an inspiration to millions of women out
there.
Lena Dunham’s writing is deeply personal and engaging and is clubbed under five
sections, ‘Love & Sex’, ‘Body’, ‘Friendship’, ‘Work’ and ‘Big Picture’. When Lena Dunham
writes that, “I feel like there are fifty ways it’s my fault... But I also know that at no moment did
I consent to being handled that way” (Dunham, 2014) it echoes the voice of all women across
generations. Lena Dunham’s writing evokes a sense of immediacy and portrays raw and true
emotion. Her writing is also devoid of any ideology. Even though critics have referred to her
work as solipsistic, gratuitously provocative and arrogant, I feel none of this terms classify her
work.

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Conclusion:
Lena Dunham speaks a universal language and expresses universal emotions and
feelings. Lena Dunham speaks about the insecurities of every woman. The insecurity of carrying
through life with an imperfect body is an issue with almost all women and all women feel it at
some point in their lives. Everybody is scared of death and cancer just like Lena Dunham. The
writing of Lena Dunham is true and authentic and she reveals herself intelligently through her
writing. Her voice deserves to be heard and she inspires others to make their voices heard in
society as well.

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REFERENCES:
Daalmans, S. (2013). “I'm Busy Trying to Become Who I Am”: Self-entitlement and the city in
HBO's Girls. Feminist Media Studies, 13(2), 359-362.
Duling, K. (2017). Lena Dunham: Feminist Writer, Actor, Producer, and Director. Cavendish
Square Publishing, LLC.
Dunham, L. (2014). Not that Kind of Girl: A Young Woman Tells You what She's" learned".
Random House.
Grist, H., & Jennings, R. (2018). Future and present imaginaries: The politics of the ageing
female body in Lena Dunham’s Girls (HB0, 2012–present).
Marghitu, S., & Ng, C. (2013, January). Body Talk: Reconsidering the Post-Feminist Discourse
and Critical Reception of Lena Dunham's Girls. In Gender Forum (No. 45, p.
N_A). Prof. Dr. Beate Neumeier.

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McRobbie, A. (2015). Notes on the perfect: Competitive femininity in neoliberal
times. Australian Feminist Studies, 30(83), 3-20.
Nash, M., & Grant, R. (2015). Twenty-Something Girls v. Thirty-Something Sex and the City
Women: Paving the way for “post? Feminism”. Feminist Media Studies, 15(6),
976-991.
Woods, F. (2015). Girls Talk: Authorship and Authenticity in the Reception of Lena Dunham's
Girls. Critical Studies in Television, 10(2), 37-54.