“Girls” has had quite a cultural impact throughout its six-season run. The HBO show was one of the first glimpses of millennial life for a wider audience. Following the worst recession since the Great Depression, creator Lena Dunham used this show as an opportunity to expose how a particular segment of a particular generation really felt, and how their lives were completely different from generations before them.
Along with the struggles of finding a job and choosing a career to stick to, “Girls,” which premieres its sixth and final season Sunday, explores how this generation approaches relationships in ways we're not used to seeing on TV.
The storylines and depth of the lives of sexually active (some more than others) twentysomethings in New York City came with many praises, but also plenty of controversy and media handwringing.
Here are the most controversial things to happen throughout "Girls" so far:
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The "whitewashing" of New York
Back when the show premiered in 2012, it received glowing reviews from critics and audiences alike. But there was one problem that critics and audiences noticed. For a show taking place in New York City, one of the most diverse cities in the United States, the show was certainly lacking it: Its entire cast was white. The backlash against the show’s “whitewashing” continued well into its first season.
Allegations of nepotism against the stars
As the show got more popular, so did the actors. And the main cast wasn't always welcomed with open arms, as it was revealed that the women all had some kind of connection to the entertainment industry through their parents.
Lena Dunham's mom is a famous artist. Zoisa Mamet is the daughter of playwright, screenwriter, and director David Mamet (he wrote "Glengarry Glenn Ross," among others). Allison Williams is the daughter of Brian Williams, former NBC news anchor. And Jemima Kirke's dad is the former drummer of the rock band Bad Company.
Their media connections felt like much more than a coincidence to a lot of people.
Marnie’s scandalous bathroom time
In episode three of the show’s first season, Marnie (Allison Williams) has a full-on masturbation scene in a public restroom. The scene was bold on its own, but especially bold for the early days of a new series.
Williams told Vulture, “I’m sort of fascinated that it’s being made into a thing, because I just looked at it as a part of my job. There were scenes that were more difficult for me to do than that one, and it’s interesting to me that people are fixating on it. I mean, little Sally Draper in 'Mad Men' did it before me, so listen — I’m just entering her territory.”
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