Buttoned-up in a red Burberry Prorsum polka-dot shirt, Dunham looks like a belated Christmas present from your weird, endearing aunt who swears she's extremely related to you. Still, the Vogue cover pops.
Photographed by the legendary Annie Leibovitz, Dunham balances a fashionable, doe-eyed stare with a comedic pull of her collar and an I'm-trying-to-concentrate temple-rub. And that trendy mop looks banging on her. Think Dunham will win this year's "Zooey Deschanel: What? I'm Famous Cute and Quirky?" Award?
Let's not forget the extensive feature on Dunham, making a point that the girl might change our perceptions of a fashion industry that overvalues the stick figures:
"In addition to tracking the fashion world closely," writes Nathan Heller, "[Dunham's] become a kind of spokesperson for young women who want to express themselves stylishly but with personal whimsy, and a vocal critic of the stereotype that fashion belongs only to a tiny group of superslender people terrified of breaking rules. For almost as long as Dunham's work has been in the public eye, she's spoken openly and often about her body type, pointing out that not every strong and enviable woman on the air must resemble a runway model."
Dunham's presence in Vogue could be the beginning of a more comprehensive representation of fashion and celebrity. She's already considered a trailblazer for women on televsion -- she's funny, not stick-thin, and doesn't mind getting naked.
All politics aside, make sure to peruse the issue's photoshoot. Sometimes we get too distracted analyzing the subject and forget the artistic feat of the photographs themselves. Leibovitz does no wrong, especially with this bathtub gem featuring Dunham's co-star Adam Driver.
