Lena Dunham Vogue Cover: The Body Politics Of 'Playing It Safe' With A Head Shot

Lena Dunham Vogue Cover: The Body Politics Of 'Playing It Safe' With A Head Shot

Lena Dunham's Vogue cover was unveiled earlier this week.

And hot on its heels came accusations that the fashion magazine was 'sizeist' and had deliberately chosen a head shot over a full body picture due to Lena's body shape and size.

While the image, shot by fashion photographer Annie Leibovitz for the February 2014 issue, is undeniably striking, many 'Girls' fans were left feeling slightly undersold.

No stranger to Lena's body, not an episode of the hit show goes by without a flash of her nipple, pasty thigh or many tattoos.

The star's refreshing attitude to nudity and the female body has been applauded by many, so isn't it a shame that Vogue couldn't follow Lena's lead?

The star is undoubtedly chuffed with the shoot, which features full-length shots inside the magazine.

The MailOnline likened Lena's cover to the recent Elle cover featuring Mindy Kaling and Adele's British Vogue cover in 2012.

But not everyone is hankering after more Lena on the cover.

HuffPost UK Lifestyle editor Poorna Bell, says Lena's body - present on the cover or not - shouldn't be the only thing the media focus on.

"There do seem to be a lot of these outrage stories around stars who feature on fashion covers who are supposedly cropped in such a way that doesn't include their bodies. But the fact is that we're applying a template for models - whose bodies are their commodity - to stars like Mindy Kaling and Lena Dunham, whose claim to fame is their wit, their writing and their TV shows," she says.

"To say that Lena should have a full body shot for the sake of it isn't progressive - it's all about using the best, most powerful shot. That picture is pretty hard to argue with - it's compelling, it draws you in, and you want to know what she has to say - which surely is more important."

What do you make of the cover, let us know in the comments below...

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