Lena Dunham has spoken out about the personal effect her rape experience had on her mental health, saying she was left feeling powerless and questioning her value.
Dunham was being honoured at Variety’s Power of Women lunch in New York City, when she told attendees the effect her own sexual assault had had on her during her acceptance speech:
"When I was raped, I felt powerless. I felt my value had been determined by someone else, someone who sent me the message that my body was not my own and my choices were meaningless.
"It took years to recognize my personal worth was not tied to my assault. The voices telling me I deserved this were phantoms, they were liars.
"As a feminist and as a sexual assault survivor, my ultimate goal is to use my experience, my platform, and yes, my privilege, to reverse stigma and give voice to other survivors."
Lena with co-star Andrew Rannells at this year's Golden Globes
Dunham was being honoured for her work with GEMS, an organisation which aims to work with girls who have been victim to human trafficking.
The Girls writer and actress first opened up about her sexual assault in her autobiography,
Not That Kind of Girl.
