Lena Dunham Felt ‘Frozen’ After the Election Results

Lena Dunham has penned an essay addressing the 2016 U.S presidential election and urging readers to remember that “the work isn’t done. It is only beginning.”

Dunham, a vocal supporter of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, wrote about her disappointment as she attended what was meant to be the Democratic victory party at the Javits Center in New York on Tuesday. “It wasn’t supposed to go this way. It was supposed to be her job. She worked her whole life for the job. It’s her job,” wrote Dunham, referring to her immediate reaction of Clinton’s defeat to Donald Trump. “I was frozen.”

As exit poll data indicated an unexpected surge of support from white women for Trump, Dunham wrote, “It’s painful to know that white women, so unable to see the unity of female identity, so unable to look past their violent privilege, and so inoculated with hate for themselves, showed up to the polls for him, too.” Interspersed in the open letter are inspiring and motivational quotes by women ranging from Audre Lorde to Florynce Kennedy, as well as Clinton herself.

However, in the same way that Dunham’s friend and fellow actress Jennifer Lawrence did earlier this week, the Girls star went on to rally others left feeling disheartened by Clinton’s defeat. “Our generation says no, as do first-time voters, to what this man and his presidency represent,” she writes. “Now, more than ever, our power is in numbers and in our refusal to accept the idea that our leaders intrinsically know what’s best for us, better than the people we meet every day.”

The essay concludes with Dunham paying tribute to Clinton, who despite not winning the presidency, made history by becoming the first female presidential nominee for a major political party. “Thank you for showing our daughters something beautiful to aspire to. Thank you for reminding us what we are capable of when we are focused and ferocious.”

Read Lena Dunham’s essay in full on Lenny.