Lena Dunham’s Dad Showed Her How to Use a Tampon—and She’s Very Grateful

Okay, I’ll admit it. Unlike some other Heat Street writers, I genuinely like Lena Dunham. I find her funny and insightful, and thoroughly enjoyed the show, Girls, right up until the end.

But sometimes, Lena Dunham becomes less of a person and more of an amorphous Lena Duhnam-y cloud of bizarre third-wave feminism and purposeful antagonism that descends like an alien spaceship onto anything that’s happy and positive, like Father’s Day.

Her thoughts, as she put them on Twitter:

Fair enough, Lena. You don’t really need a Dad for much besides conception, and a number of scientists are actively working on making that a thing of the past as well. But of all days to insult the toxic masculinity that shapes our lives —Father’s Day? Cold, Lena. Cold.

The Internet noticed, including Donald Trump, Jr., whose father is, of course, President Donald Trump, notable paragon of fatherhood.

The worst part, though, isn’t the mistake—it’s that the most Lena Dunham of negative holiday commentary undercut the most Lena Dunham-y of positive holiday commentary. Before waxing poetic on dispensability of fathers in society, she’d provided a touching reminder on Instagram as to why she needed hers.

Endometriosis is no joke, and her dad was by her side, making her banana smoothies and entertaining nursing staff while Lena recovered from a particular pernicious bout last month.

This may look like a blurry shitty iPhone pic but here’s what it actually is: an image of my father on his zillionth ER trip of the year with me last month, checking to make sure no one came into the room who didn’t need to. This man has been with me day and night: as I slept after surgery, as I was wheeled into an MRI, as I lay abject and feeling sorry for myself. He made friends with every nurse. When I got home he blended banana shakes when I wouldn’t eat, woke me up with my meds at 3am and made me laugh every day. He gave up his own busy life to make sure I could return to mine. I’m healthy and safe because of his unyielding love. On this Father’s Day I want to celebrate all the men who defy the signals culture sends them and nurture, nurture, nurture. I love you Papa. You’re my best friend.

A post shared by Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) on

Heck, just days before that, Lena Dunham revealed, in a most Lena Dunham-y story, that one of her fondest memories of her father was the time she got her first period and her dad showed her how to use a tampon. And helpfully instructed her on the ins-and-outs of Patriarchal society, but that’s beside the point.

“My father looked at me, misty-eyed,” Dunham told Cosmopolitan. “This, this mountain, is where we were the moment you became a woman. In many cultures you’d have to start birthing children now.’”

They rushed home, he handed her a tampon, and gave her through-the-door instructions on how to use  it, like probably no dad before him and no dad since. And we all know that because Lena Dunham is the every-woman so her father’s thoughts on menstruation are, without question, newsworthy.

Some come on, Lena. Don’t be silly and say dads are useless. Yours came in handy! Plus, you’re here, right? And we’re all better for it. Probably.