I am a pretty big fan of the show Girls. Being first introduced to Dunham’s work via her film Tiny Furniture, it bore more than a few similarities to the show with its casting and themes. While Tiny Furniture felt a bit more autobiographical compared to Girls, the voice was still very much the same, and that is what won me over. Dunham felt like a constant outsider looking in, and her stories are the ones of the everyman, the person not blessed with flawless genetics or a super high IQ, but who is just quirky and clever enough that it bleeds through. Her stories don’t feel like they come from a place where someone is trying to capture a particular feeling or a theme; you genuinely get the impression that she’s lived through it.
Needles to say I’ve been a bit torn about Girls coming to an end. While the show has had one of its better seasons, it also feels like a really good time to let Hannah and company go. Don’t get me wrong; its fun to watch these characters drown in narcissism every week, but everyone has to start learning from their mistakes sooner or later. That’s what this final season has been about, as Dunham has allowed these characters to finally look deep into their future and finally grow up, or in Hannah’s case be forced to do so. So that is what led me to Brooklyn this weekend to the Girls pop-up exhibit to pay my respects and say good bye to the show that launched a million think pieces on the world according to Dunham.
Upon arriving it was pretty apparent there were two kinds of folks at the event, those just discovering the show and those who had, much like the characters, grown up with it. This was made apparent by those attendees doing impromptu Instagram photo shoots with their telescoping selfie sticks and those that were just there just to check out the exhibit. I personally shuffled through trying to stay out of selfies while capturing all the items on display. The pop up felt less curated and more personal, as fans could get up close with some of the most iconic props that were organized by season. Each episode was represented, some with a quote, a listening station or a piece from that particular episode. It honestly felt less like just an exhibit and more like a collection of Dunham’s personal keepsakes from her favorite moments on the show.
The exhibit ended with a recreation of Hannah’s apartment with all the furniture from the show. For me by far that was my favorite thing, being able to sit in Hannah’s living room for one last time and soak it all in.
