Lena Dunham Has 'Trouble Respecting' Move to Publish Untouched Photos
ABC News' Mara Schiavocampo reports:
It was the reward that stirred up bounty hunters across the Internet.
Gawker Media's feminist site Jezebel offered $10,000 last month for un-retouched images of Lena Dunham's shoot for Vogue magazine.
Now the "Girls" actress and director is speaking out in a new interview with Bill Simmons of Grantland.com, responding to what she calls an all-out attack.
"It was this weird political maneuvering that I just had a lot of trouble respecting," Dunham told Simmons.
Dunham, the 27-year-old star and creator of HBO's hit series "Girls," isn't shy about baring it all on the show, often saying she accepts and loves her body.
When Vogue published a photo spread in the February issue, Jezebel suspected they'd been doctored and offered up big bucks for proof, saying "This is about Vogue, and what Vogue decides to do with a specific woman who has very publicly stated that she's fine just the way she is."
Jezebel's flash of cash worked. The next day, the site posted the unaltered images, in some cases using arrows to point out fixes like a slimmer neckline, refined jaw and smaller hips, changes Dunham says she has no problem with.
"They like shaved a line here and smoothed my neck," Dunham explained. "It was the most minimal retouching."
In the interview, Dunham also says these days, she can't even bring herself to read the site she once loved.
"That was messed up," she said. "I think Jezebel is really smart and funny. … It's just like once you've been attacked that way it's hard to enjoy. It's hard to enjoy once you feel like they've made such a monumental error in their approach to feminism."
Jezebel declined further comment to ABC News on the controversy.
"You know, in the end, Lena is the clear winner," said Ericka Souter, editor at TheStir.com. "She stood up for herself, she let them know that they were wrong and you have to respect that."