Thirteen years ago, Lena Dunham blessed the world with Girls, the cringe show about toxic white millennial girls that raised me. TV was forever changed. Jake Shane and I were forever changed. Pop culture was forever changed. The six-season HBO comedy explores the depths of womanhood, frenemy-ship, psychotic men, self-destructive behavior, and failed attempts at following dreams. Although no one actually wants to identify with Hannah, all of us identify with Hannah. Messy, narcissistic, vaguely ambitious, and lazy bitches got to see themselves on screen, and that’s the beauty of this show. To celebrate her 13th birthday and just celebrate her in general, here’s a definitive ranking of the most iconic Girls scenes. Enjoy this necessary trip down memory lane.
The Most Iconic Girls Scenes, Ranked
1. “All adventurous women do.”
“All adventurous women do” – Hannah fucking Horvath. If you don’t get it, I fear you’re just not an intellectual. There has never been a more effective use of Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own.” Frankly, I can’t imagine a more important and heartwarming two minutes of TV.
2. The voice of her generation
@hbo Me, unprompted. #GirlsHBO #HBO ♬ original sound – HBO
Period.
3. “Your dad is gay”
“There’s a handsomeness to you” is the most diabolical thing he could’ve said (besides that Maya Angelou quote and literally outing Hannah’s dad). This unhinged, tit for tat confrontation is one of the greatest gifts Lena ever gave us.
4. Marnie’s cover of “Stronger”
This Marnie atrocity is the equivalent of men playing mid guitar during dates or at parties without getting consent. Okay, fine… Maybe it’s even worse. Though it physically hurts to watch this scene, it’s essential for The Culture. To be cringe is to be free and yada yada, but don’t ever do this.
5. “Unstimulating? Are we in a fucking Jane Austen novel?”
Shosh randomly being the most evil drunk alive and word-vomiting all her intrusive thoughts is so important to me. “Sometimes I wonder if my social anxiety is holding me back from meeting the people who would actually be right for me instead of a bunch of fucking whiney nothings…” Why did that kind of eat?
6. “You are from New York. Therefore, you are just naturally interesting. K?”
Where’s the lie? As a fellow 20-something girl who moved to NYC from a small town, I 100 percent agree that we’re not obligated to have much of a personality, since we’re automatically fascinating main characters. I keep this gem of a pep talk in my back pocket for whenever I have to go home, even though I do happen to be blessed with wit and charm.
7. “I don’t know if I look, like, scary thin or anything”
@binge Very demure. #girls #girlsshow #lenadunham #lenadunhamedit #tvclips #tvshow #demure #newyork #newyorkcity #tvclips #tvshow #tvseries ♬ original sound – BINGE
I admittedly quote this scene almost as much as I quote, “So, my name… My name is Bella Hadid.”
8. The taco dinner party
Adam’s violent glare combined with Shoshana’s on-brand yapping, Hannah’s chaotic hostess mode, and Marnie’s diva behavior is just priceless.
9. Where it all begins
iN tHiS eCOnoMy? The audacity of her parents! “I have work, I have a dinner thing, and then I am busy trying to become who I am” – me the last decade or so.
