Frankly, I'm appalled that so many people believe that they have the authority to claim that this is abuse based on the book. There is exactly one person who gets to decide if this is sexual abuse and that's Grace Dunham.

You've wrote a phenomenal piece Jia, certainly one of the most objective to surface in recent days.

This article is in direct response to the selection of the single passage to attack Lena Dunham. It is not an evaluation of Lena Dunham as person.

If the article was focused on Lena Dunham rather than the selected passage and the uproar its caused, then author of this piece would be cherry picking.

Since it is not, the…

Well, maybe I ought to track down the book and read it cover to cover. I do know, having read the photographed page that contains that particular metaphor, that with its omission there's absolutely nothing else within the text suggesting sexual intent. Manipulative? Sure. But seriously: cross that…

I... don't actually care what you think about my "claim". So I guess that works?

Have you read all 800 comments? And checked out twitter? No?

the expression cherry picking suggests that someone is manipulating readers and a story by only displaying certain elements of it. My issue is that Manipulation started with the site that first put out this quote (and aged her by a decade).

They actually did specifically say "let's not do that anymore" or words to that effect regarding Grace. Maybe read the book and find out.

omg im so embarrassed

It is actually very important. The person who was acted against has a right to her own narrative. If she feels comfortable and wasn't coerced into saying she wasn't abused, then that should be the end of the discussion really.

I phrased that part wrong, out of quickness. I'm going to change it. Let the record state it was originally "And what's happening to her now is what happens to a talented person who has only ever been scolded for the wrong reasons" — closer to my actual thought is, "And what's happening to her now is what happens to a…

I'm not commenting on the abuse debate, but just out of curiosity, did you read the book? Because all of the quotes being discussed in the media over the last few days are cherry picked from a longer autobiography (which I didn't read but Jia did). Unless everyone in the comment section read the book, it's pretty…

I have absolutely no interest in defending Lena. I feel extremely, extremely apathetic towards her and have no interest in ever looking at her work on screen. There is no "they" involved in this write-up. It is just one person's perspective of a chapter in her book, which I read in full, including all those other…

Her sister has not come forward with claims of having been abused. Isn't that pretty crucial? I had a 21 year old boyfriend when I was 16. We had sex, lots of times. Legally, I was raped. I don't see it that way. However, a 15 year old boy fingered me when I was 14, despite my protests. Eventually I stopped fighting,…

Yes they do, and kids also stick m-80s inside of frogs to watch them explode and stab other children with sharp objects to see what the result will be.

Another home run, Jia. Jezebel is lucky to have you. Please don't leave.

Thanks for this thoughtful article. When I read through Twitter the other night, I thought, "I wonder what child psychology has to say about this specific set of behaviors and this age gap?" I am glad you pursued that line of questioning and got some answers. I recall as a child (4 or 5 years old) telling my mother I…

My 4 year old grand-daughter told me last month that while they were sleeping she looked at her twin brothers anus. She said she pulled down his pajamas and opened his butt cheeks and looked. I asked why she did it and she said she wanted to. I asked her why she was telling me and she said that she didn't know and…

at 7, this is normal body curiosity. It's a big sign to mom and dad they need to sit down with her and show her what a vagina looks like and it's purpose. It's a sign they need to be taught about boundaries and appropriate touching. She did not victimize the kid, there was no molestation. This act involved two very…

Incredulous is the only word I can come up with for this allegation.