The All-White World of ‘Girls’

“Girls,” written by and starring Lena Dunham, was initially the subject of overwhelming praise for telling the story of twenty-something New York females in a new way. Media outlets scrambled to nail down a Dunham interview. And we were lucky to be one of the shows to talk with her.
But in the two weeks since the series premiered, “Girls” went from being praised to being the object of overwhelming vitriol. From the blogosphere to the New York Times, critics have asked: Why does this show, which takes place in Brooklyn, New York in 2012, have an entirely white cast? After all, only a third of Brooklyn is white.
Russell Robinson is professor of law at the University of California, Berkeley and the author of a study on race, ethnicity and gender casting in Hollywood.  Melissa Silverstein is the editor of Women and Hollywood and the artistic director of the Athena Film Festival.