Girls, Girls, Girls

 

Good morning, Wednesday. Here you are- have to say the weather today is more in line with what I think of when I think of early Spring- a slight chill but a warming trend that makes a girl feel hopeful. Ah, just right.

And you know what else is right? That new show "Girls" on HBO, now in the lineupfor HBO's Sunday night must see programming. It just premiered this weekend and I found it to be exceptional. Lena Dunham, who is its reluctant star also wrote and directed the whole shebang, and although I am no longer a twentysomething living in New York, I loved the portrayal of that point in time. It's true like most of us with lady parts I was a big, big fan of "Sex and the City".  I loved the love affair it had with my city, the fashion, the style, and the liberation and license it gave to being single in your 30s as a Manhattanette. But let's face it- Carrie and company lived lives that none of us were living- the shoes, the endless array of couture, the chi chi cocktails every night amongst friends. What I love about "Girls" is that it rings true- the lead character is not a stick figure, she struggles with self confidence and her place in life, and portrays a side of living in New York that is so bloody true- full of pretentious people, weird boyfriends, and self deprecation. A friend of mine who is a super smart lady commented that she found the effusive attention to the lead character's less than perfect physique was distracting, but I found it spot on in terms of how obsessed we are with our shape in this day and age. It ain't easy being a woman in this society with a few extra pounds- and the fact that her best pal is a waify thing only adds to the angst that comes from feeling the pressure that comes with being a little fuller in the figure.

And I know many took issue with the fact that these kiddie poos should stop whining and whinging and just get a job- but we all know how hard that is to cop in this day and age, so to me, the parental support rings true when real jobs are few and far between. Plus the angsty laziness of these kids is a nice break from the Type A ra ra super positive millenials I get a little bored with. Sorry, millenials. I'm more of an angst ridden X type. Are these characters likable like Carrie and her crew? Nah. Not really. But I'm somehow rooting for the lead chick to stop screwing around with sordid men (I had to turn away from the sex scene) and overcome her parental dependence. And who says we always have to like characters anyway?

I hope the show sustains the unique combination it crafted in the first episode- portraying the struggle to find work in New York so you can eat yet still living a bit of a bougie life full of dinner parties, designer drugs, and pretentious people that talk about pretentious things. SATC never really showed the darker side of New York life- of struggling for work, being uncomfortable in your skin, or wearing outfits that don't come from the pages of Vogue (the first episode of 'Girls' gave more than a nod to Carrie and the gang ps). This show is one for the next generation of girls coming up in New York, and although those of you that don't relate to its particular brand of angst, I for one found it a revelation and look forward to more episodes of my new favorite show. Diablo Cody- why aren't you making things like this? Juno to me was in the same genre, non?

Regardless of whether you relate more to chicks in Blahniks than chicks in Buffalo Exchange, watch this show. It's a cool take on the struggle that happens in New York when mommy and daddy cut the cord and how women stay in relationships with men that are less than spectacular. That's what most of my twenties were about anyway, though I will admit I had some pretty great moments prancing around New York in my fashionable best a la Carrie as well...'tis all for now. Watch "Girls" if you can- it's a goodie. And that's what's up this girls will be women one day kind of Wednesday in the 212. All the love and XO to all my girlies out there...