When it comes to personal style and individuality , self-proclaimed 'weirdo ' Lena Dunham is something of an expert – and now , she ’ s encouraging young girls around the world to let their freak flags fly , and to follow their passions without conforming to the opinions of any ‘ insecure ’ critics . The 28-year-old Girls star has penned an essay for Seventeen magazine titled ‘ Why I 'm on Team Weirdo For Life ’ , in which she recounted the regrettable moment when she yielded to the pressure to be a 'regular ' girl by altering her appearance . ' I was a bona fide weirdo in high school , ' she wrote . 'My best friend was my dad . ( Still is . ) I wore my yellow rubber clogs every day . I was so obsessed with my pet rabbit that I fed her bananas from my mouth . ' Scroll down for video . One-of-a-kind : Lena Dunham , pictured at the January premiere of her documentary , It 's Me , Hilary - The Man Who Drew Eloise , wants girls to be able to express their individuality . Tanya Taylor cold shoulder striped top . While the dress is n't available online , try the co-ords at Saks Fifth Avenue . Visit site . Lena Dunham has such GIRLish appeal here with her Tanya Taylor dress and whimsical polka dot Bionda Castana Lama pumps . She 's really taken on the fashion world and become quite the darling . Whenever she hits the red carpet , she 's advocating for real world expectations for women and shows how not everyone needs to be a size 00 to be cute . Tanya Taylor is also a trailblazer designer . Her designs mixes feminine shapes with unexpected prints and details like cut outs and tailoring . Her eponymous line launched in 2012 and she 's been carried in stores like Saks in the US ( where you can find the top of the co-ord ) to the Asia based Lane Crawford ( where you can find the co-ord skirt ) . Nothing screams summer like cerulean blue and white stripes . We can see this dress or co-ord set paired with white hot strappy heels for a night out on the town or Ancient Greek sandals for a Sunday Funday . Head over to Saks to pick up the Bundy top and skirt or check out our suggestions for a girlish striped dress . Tanya Taylor Bundy stripe neoprene skirt . Visit site . Eva Franco bold stripe Audrey dress at Off Saks 5th Avenue ( now $ 118.99 ) Visit site . ASOS stripe debutante dress . Visit site . Max C low back striped dress with bow at ASOS ( now $ 45 ) Visit site . And while no one ever shoved Lena into a locker for being the type of girl to bring a 'bagel to the party , not beer ' , she admitted that it was made clear she was n't respected by her peers . Lena recalled trying an 'experiment ' , in which she tried to fit in . She wore the 'normal ' flared jeans that were in style at the time and her mom 's tank top . She donned eyeliner , straightened her hair and even padded her bra . While the reactions to her change in appearance were subtle at first , she soon overheard a guy in her class saying : 'Wow . She actually looks regular . ' Just be yourself : The 28-year-old , who wore her mom 's prom dress for her senior photo ( pictured ) , encouraged girls to be themselves in an essay for Seventeen . Animal lover : Lena shared this snapshot of herself posing with three Chihuahuas on Instagram last week . But the word 'regular ' did n't sit well with Lena , and the next day she was back to wearing her yellow clogs . 'Who wants to be regular , especially if it means taking an extra 15 minutes on your hair ? Or pretending that you 're not rereading Madame Bovary again or not crazy about your rabbit ? ' she asked . Lena added : 'If regular means pretending you do n't have passions and style , count me out . ' Strange love : Lena celebrated her three year anniversary with her boyfriend Jack Antonoff by mocking up image of the two of them with their rescue dog Lamby . In character : Lena is pictured on the set of Girls with her friend and co-star Jemima Kirke . She noted that daring to be different will cause others to 'lash out ' , and while Lena admits that 'criticism is an essential part of being human ' , she explained that most criticism is n't constructive or helpful in any way . 'It 's the result of people in pain about what they perceive as their own failings , ' she said of baseless criticisms . Lena explained that she will always listen to her loved one and coworkers when they have issues with her or her work . She also said that she wants her readers and viewers to make her aware if her work upsets them , but it 's the criticism 'born of others ' insecurities ' that she warned girls to ignore . 'You do n't need anyone telling you what your style , substance , or happiness should look like , ' she said .
Lena , May , penned ‘ Why I 'm on Team Weirdo For Life ’ for the 28 issue of Seventeen magazine . The Girls star revealed that she never wanted to be normal while in high school , no matter what her peers thought of her . She explains that being unique and individual is what has helped her to achieve so much success .