Lena Dunham has made a name for herself as an actor, writer, feminist and self-confessed ‘voice of a generation’. And yet, as it is with so many other women in the public eye, it’s her appearance and weight that many choose to focus on.

And though she’s previously addressed the media buzz around her recent weight loss, stating firmly that any change in dress size is not “a triumph” and in fact due to her efforts to keep on top of her endometriosis through diet and exercise, last week she found a picture of herself on the cover of a magazine illustrating a feature billed as “20 Slimdown Diet Tips” from celebrities.

Taking to Instagram, Dunham, 30, has now fired back at the publication with her own list of the 20 ways she’s “slimmed down”.

Read more: Claudia Winkleman’s “unapologetic” approach to the ageing process

Among her tips, there’s that “quiet rage that replaces need for food with need for revenge” of course – and the time she had her “phone number leaked and violent images texted to [her] phone by randos”.

Then there’s her “anxiety disorder” and “constant sweaty dreams of a dystopian future” – many of which were brought on by “an election that reveals the true depths of misogyny”.

She also points out that she has a “pre-existing condition” which could bring on weight loss, referring to her endometriosis and mental health issues, which, under the proposed amendment to the American Health Care Act, would come under the list of ‘conditions’ that people could find their health insurance suddenly doesn’t cover or has inflated premiums for.

Dunham’s full list of ‘diet tips’ reads:

• anxiety disorder 
• resultant constant nausea
• an election that reveals the true depths of American misogyny
• constant sweaty dreams of dystopian future
• abdominal adhesions pinning ovary below uterus 
• baseless but still harrowing threats to physical safety online and through smail mail
• watching institutions you love from Planned Parenthood to PBS be threatened by cartoon mustache-twirling villains
• finally realizing superheroes aren’t real (specifically the X-Factor, really thought they’d handle this)
• marching your ass off
• a quiet rage that replaces need for food with need for revenge
• sleeping 19 hours a day
• realising that even the liberal media wants dem clicks no matter whut
• worrying ceaselessly about the health and safety of women you know and women you don’t
• realising who ya real friends are
• having to switch from Uber to Lyft (lots of calories burned trying to understand a new app, then even more trying to understand if the conflict was resolved)
• bladder spasms, urinary frequency and urgency 
• having your phone number leaked and violent images texted to your phone by randos under names like VERYFATCHUCKYBOY@creepz.com
• keeping your back arched against the wind
• um, who the f*ck cares?

She rounds things off by saying: “I have no tips, I give no tips, [and] I don’t want to be on this cover because it’s diametrically opposed to everything I’ve fought my whole career for and it’s not a compliment to me because it’s not an achievement.

“Thanks.”

Read more: Lena Dunham on her weight loss: “This isn’t a triumph”

Dunham is not the first woman in the spotlight to slam tabloids for their incessant weight loss questions.

Mary Berry, aka The Great British Bake Off’s Queen of Cakes, was quizzed about how she stays in shape by new! magazine a few months ago.

The octogenarian mulled over the question for a few moments, before admitting: “I’ve got smaller.” However, she went on to add that her weight plummeted after the death of her beloved son, William, in XXXX.

“Sadly, we lost a son,” she said.

“William died [in a car crash in 1989] and I lost a stone and a half and I never put it on again.”

Holly Willoughby, similarly, declined to answer any questions about her dietary or fitness habits during an interview with Prima. “I actually avoid talking about my diet and exercise regime because I have interviewed so many people affected by eating disorders,” the 36-year-old told the magazine.

“I know that some people in chat rooms can really fixate on other people’s diets. I just can’t contribute to that.”

Read more: Kylie Minogue wants thoughtless people to stop asking when she’ll have kids

When pressed for more information about her daily eating habits, Willoughby’s response was blunt and to the point.

“I love food,” she said. “It’s a celebration, something to be talked over, shopped for, cooked and enjoyed.”

With so many women in the public eye prepared to challenge body-shaming and society’s obsession with weight, we can only hope that the narrative will be changed soon.

Images: Instagram/Rex Pictures