She was the voice of a generation, then she vanished. Now Lena Dunham is back with a Netflix romcom—but where has she been?

The creator of Girls disappeared from the spotlight for years, and the story behind her absence is almost more compelling than her comeback. So why did the woman who defined millennial womanhood step away? Mia, Jessie and Amelia Lester discuss on today's show. 

And if you've been posting less and scrolling more, you're not alone. Women everywhere are retreating from social media, choosing to lurk rather than share. We're exploring why we're all heading towards posting zero—and what it means for how we connect.

Plus, scurrilous (royal) gossip: King Charles and Prince Harry's aides held a secret meeting, and everyone's speculating about what went down. Are the palace walls finally cracking?

Support independent women's media 

What To Listen To Next: 
Listen to our latest episode: Microefficiencies & The Politics Of A Mean Group Chat
Listen: Should Your Family Divorce Your Ex Too?
Listen: The Sex Chat No Woman Wants To Have
Listen: WTF is Going On In America Right Now?
Listen: Please Remove Me From Your Micro Drama
Listen: BONUS: Our Honest Thoughts About 'And Just Like That' Season Three
Listen: You're A Bitch And That's Why We Lack Community
Listen: When Your Family Is the Problem
Parenting Out Loud: Sleep Divorce, 'Hopeless' Dads & Goodnight To The Bedtime Story
Connect your subscription to Apple Podcasts 

Watch Mamamia Out Loud:

Mamamia Out Loud on YouTube

What to read: 
A brutally honest review of Lena Dunham's new Netflix rom-com Too Much.
Lena Dunham disappeared after starring in Girls. She’s finally explaining why.
'I’ll put my money on sober women any day.' Lena Dunham speaks out about her addiction struggles.
The true story that inspired Netflix's rom-com Too Much.
You're not imagining it, we've all stopped posting on social media in 2024.
Prince Harry said he misses the UK but can't take his children there. Buckingham Palace responded.

Are you fighting with someone you love? 

Maybe it’s your partner or your sibling or your best friend? 

Mamamia’s new therapy-based series is looking for a range of pairs who are interested in receiving qualified psychotherapy to help them repair their relationship before it’s too late. 

We are looking for real people, with real problems, who want real therapy. 

If this is you, apply here.

THE END BITS: 

Check out our merch at MamamiaOutLoud.com

Mamamia studios are styled with furniture from Fenton and Fenton 

GET IN TOUCH:

Feedback? We’re listening. Send us an email at outloud@mamamia.com.au

Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message.

Join our Facebook group Mamamia Outlouders to talk about the show.

Follow us on Instagram @mamamiaoutloud and on Tiktok @mamamiaoutloud

Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. 

She was the voice of a generation, then she vanished. Now Lena Dunham is back with a Netflix romcom&mdash;but where has she been?
The creator of Girls disappeared from the spotlight for years, and the story behind her absence is almost more compelling than her comeback. So why did the woman who defined millennial womanhood step away? Mia, Jessie and Amelia Lester discuss on today's show.&nbsp;
And if you've been posting less and scrolling more, you're not alone. Women everywhere are retreating from social media, choosing to lurk rather than share. We're exploring why we're all heading towards posting zero&mdash;and what it means for how we connect.
Plus, scurrilous (royal) gossip: King Charles and Prince Harry's aides held a secret meeting, and everyone's speculating about what went down. Are the palace walls finally cracking?
<a href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe/?utm_source=shownotes&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=mmol">Support independent women's media</a>&nbsp;
What To Listen To Next:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Listen to our latest episode: <a href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/mamamia-out-loud/micro-efficiencies">Microefficiencies &amp; The Politics Of A Mean Group Chat</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Listen:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/mamamia-out-loud/family-estrangement-divorce/?utm_source=shownotes&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=mmol">Should Your Family Divorce Your Ex Too?</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Listen:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/mamamia-out-loud/jennifer-aniston-boyfriend/">The Sex Chat No Woman Wants To Have</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Listen:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/mamamia-out-loud/big-beautiful-bill-alligator-alcatraz/?utm_source=shownotes&amp;amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;amp;utm_campaign=mmol">WTF is Going On In America Right Now?</a></li>
<li>Listen: <a href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/mamamia-out-loud/katy-perry-orlando-bloom-split">Please Remove Me From Your Micro Drama</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Listen: <a href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/mamamia-out-loud/and-just-like-that-season-3-episode-6">BONUS: Our Honest Thoughts About 'And Just Like That' Season Three</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Listen:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/mamamia-out-loud/small-favours-economy">You're A Bitch And That's Why We Lack Community</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Listen: <a href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/mamamia-out-loud/family-dynamic-dilemmas/?utm_source=shownotes&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=mmol">When Your Family Is the Problem</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Parenting Out Loud: <a href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/podcasts/this-glorious-mess/sleep-divorce-bedtime-stories">Sleep Divorce, 'Hopeless' Dads &amp; Goodnight To The Bedtime Story</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/au/channel/mamamia/id6442502456?ign-itscg=80085&amp;ign-itsct=pod_cha_mamam332_NA">Connect your subscription to Apple Podcasts&nbsp;</a></li>
</ul>
Watch Mamamia Out Loud:
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@mamamiaoutloud">Mamamia Out Loud on YouTube</a>
What to read:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/too-much-review/">A brutally honest review of Lena Dunham's new Netflix rom-com Too Much.</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/lena-dunham-exits-polly-pocket/">Lena Dunham disappeared after starring in Girls. She&rsquo;s finally explaining why.</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/lena-dunham-sobriety/">'I&rsquo;ll put my money on sober women any day.' Lena Dunham speaks out about her addiction struggles.</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/too-much-netflix-true-story/" data-qa="message_attachment_title_link">The true story that inspired Netflix's rom-com Too Much.</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/social-media-decline/">You're not imagining it, we've all stopped posting on social media in 2024.</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.mamamia.com.au/prince-harry-security-court-case/">Prince Harry said he misses the UK but can't take his children there. Buckingham Palace responded.</a></li>
</ul>
Are you fighting with someone you love?&nbsp;
Maybe it&rsquo;s your partner or your sibling or your best friend?&nbsp;
Mamamia&rsquo;s new therapy-based series is looking for a range of pairs who are interested in receiving qualified psychotherapy to help them repair their relationship before it&rsquo;s too late.&nbsp;
We are looking for real people, with real problems, who want real therapy.&nbsp;
If this is you, apply <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1muwRveFCeJJXEtwfH9zGP_fnGRNdCMcq0Lw9OLlFttY/viewform?edit_requested=true">here</a>.
THE END BITS:&nbsp;
Check out our merch at<a href="https://www.mamamiaoutloud.com.au/store"> MamamiaOutLoud.com</a>
<a href="https://www.fentonandfenton.com.au/">Mamamia studios are styled with furniture from Fenton and Fenton&nbsp;</a>
GET IN TOUCH:
Feedback? We&rsquo;re listening. Send us an email at outloud@mamamia.com.au
Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! <a href="https://help.mamamia.com.au/en-US/send-a-podcast-voice-note-467960">Send us a voice message</a>.
Join our Facebook group <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/outlouders">Mamamia Outlouders</a> to talk about the show.
Follow us on Instagram<a href="https://www.instagram.com/mamamiaoutloud/?hl=en"> @mamamiaoutloud</a> and on Tiktok<a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@mamamiaoutloud"> @mamamiaoutloud</a>
Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.&nbsp;

Australia's #1 podcast for women is where smart women come for good conversation — with an occasional side serve of chaos. Covering news, pop culture and big ideas, plus the small stuff that matters, Mamamia Out Loud is hosted by journalists and authors Mia Freedman, Jessie Stephens and Holly Wainwright. It's your daily dose of conversation that's like catching up with your best, funniest and sharpest friends in the group chat, offering conversation at its most addictive.

Australia's #1 podcast for women is where smart women come for good conversation &mdash; with an occasional side serve of chaos. Covering news, pop culture and big ideas, plus the small stuff that matters, Mamamia Out Loud is hosted by journalists and authors Mia Freedman, Jessie Stephens and Holly Wainwright. It's your daily dose of conversation that's like catching up with your best, funniest and sharpest friends in the group chat, offering conversation at its most addictive.

A weekly podcast that's smart, often silly and sometimes surprising.

Mamamia Out Loud

Are We Done Being Bitchy About Lena Dunham?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/3ea926be-9be7-482a-8ac3-a44f016e43d1/clips/09ebce04-964b-448d-af99-b31a000f1c30/transcript