Reality shows are like sweets: satisfying for the moment. i-D’s Winter Wise Up coverstar Lena Dunham shares her guiltiest pleasures and lists her top 5 Reality Shows of All Time.
Humans are curious creatures. We all secretly people watch, pretending we’re oblivious whilst subtly creeping on other people’s buiness. Reality shows have become a cult phenomenon of the 21st century and the kind of people who choose to take part in these intelligently produced, voyeuristic faux-docu series are the best, worst kind of exhibitionists. The Hills, 16 and Pregnant, Keeping Up with The Kardashians and Hogan Knows Best are a few of the most successful. Spawning superstars, famous for having done… absolutely nothing, each episode has captivated audiences all over the world. One particularly important voyeur who has an unashamed love for reality shows is Lena Dunham, our fave funny NYC laydee, the current i-D Winter Wise Up coverstar and writer and director of hit American series Girls. Here, Miss Dunham gives us the low down on her fave reality shows of all time. And in her interview for The Wise Up Issue, told i-D Features Editor Paul Flynn:
“I was obsessed with Real World when I was a little kid. I guess the first Real World came out when I was about five. Then I watched Singled Out. But The Osbournes was the first one that claimed to capture the ins and outs of someone’s daily life… The Osbournes came out when I was like, twelve. I think that was huge for me. I watched every episode. I remember watching every episode of Ashlee Simpson’s reality show too. It was called Ashlee Simpson: Pieces of Me. [...] When I pitched Girls definitely, I was thinking that this is the first generation of girls raised on reality TV, internet correspondence, all believing we had ADD or ADHD.”
Read more from the interview here. And purchase Lena’s cover here.
Text: Milly McMahon
