Lena Dunham, the millennial icon who changed the way the body and sex are portrayed

In the world of television, Girls marked a before and after when it premiered in 2012. If Sex and the City, which debuted 14 years earlier, reminded women of their power and their right to have fun and take control of their lives, Girls — the quintessential millennial series, written, directed, and starring Lena Dunham — delved much deeper into the realities of everyday life, far less glamorous for ordinary people.