Lena Dunham has tried to be a progressive activist for years. She was one of Hillary Clinton’s biggest supporters. And one has to give her credit for being one of the only so-called feminists to stand up for Taylor Swift after she was criticized for not being political enough. Vulture reported the news in February.

“Now, one of Swift’s friends, Lena Dunham, is defending her choice to not publicly discuss politics, arguing that people have every right to remain silent if they choose to.”

The article goes on to explain that Dunham believes everyone has to a right to do things their way. Lena noted that Swift could face personal danger if she tweets overt political thoughts. She also showed admiration for how Swift directly approached her career. Dunham seemed to make the interview more about herself than Swift. Dunham pointed out that when she speaks out about politics, her address, floor plans, etc. are given out.

Now, Dunham has shown support for Swift again after the 1989 star went to court to testify against a radio personality that allegedly groped her. Swift gave a sweeping testimony about how she will not stand for anybody treating her inappropriately. Dunham then made news by praising Taylor.

Proud of @taylorswift13 for her fierce & cutting testimony & her refusal to settle for being treated like property. Her example is powerful. — Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) August 11, 2017

However, many on social media accused Lena Dunham of using the Swift case for self-promotion. There were many posts on Twitter that criticized Dunham.

Sorry, but @lenadunham is the LAST person needed to support @taylorswift13. Dunham exploits causes for her own gain. https://t.co/rBZObKEdoT — Carol Weber (@carolrweber) August 12, 2017

@lenadunham leave Taylor Swift alone! Weren't you the one who molested your sister? You are NOT a feminist! — Jade Illusion (@jadeillusion2) August 12, 2017

Although Lena Dunham is certainly well-meaning in her approach, she has also been massively criticized by both the right and left. Whether Dunham deserves it or not, attaching her name onto something only gives it a dark cloud.

Lena Dunham has been caught making statements that have been proven false.[Image by Jemal Countess/Getty Images]

There are many reasons for this, and some have to do with the fact that people love to build up celebrities and then tear them down. However, Dunham has also done irresponsible things as well. For example, Dunham thought she was gaining fans from the LGBT community by claiming she heard two female American Airlines employees of having a “transphobic” talk last week. However, it might have all been a publicity stunt on Dunham’s part.

According to The Wrap, American Airlines completely disputed Dunham’s claims and noted that the time stamps of her claims don’t add up. This wasn’t the first time Dunham has been caught in a possible fib. According to Yahoo! Celebrity, Dunham’s story about her “abused dog” Lamby was completely misleading.

“We checked the records for Lamby. He was ‘owner surrendered, not enough time,’ so we do not know where she got multiple owners that abused the dog [story],” a BARC Shelter spokesperson revealed to the website.

As the article notes, Dunham had previously written about how the dog had three homes as well as three other names. This was just the latest baggage Lena Dunham has created for herself over the years. As The Daily Beast reported, Dunham informed her podcast audience that she wished she had experienced an abortion so she could play her part to reduce stigma around the hot-topic issue.

Lena Dunham has been deeply criticized by both pro-life and pro-choice activists. [Image by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images]

The comment made Dunham a left-wing parody more than it made her a left-wing activist. In fact, the criticism was just as bad from left-wing activists as it was from those on the right, who were still fuming about a confession Lena Dunham made in her 2014 book about allegedly molesting her sister.

“One day, as I sat in our driveway in Long Island playing with blocks and buckets, my curiosity got the best of me. Grace [her one-year-old sister] was sitting up, babbling and smiling, and I leaned down between her legs and carefully spread open her vagina. She didn’t resist and when I saw what was inside I shrieked,” Truth Revolt quoted Dunham as revealing.

Some say that right-wing websites took Dunham’s quotes out of context, but they still echo until this day. Some of Dunham’s biggest fans admire her for speaking her mind and not caring about political backlash from the right or political correctness from the left. However, Dunham’s past can be harmful because it hurts causes she attaches her name to. Somewhere, there is hope that Taylor Swift got in contact with Lena to thank her for her support, but asked her to be quiet in the future.

[Featured Image by Christopher Polk/Getty Images]