text: 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 isn'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 wasn'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' didn'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 don'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 isn'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 don't need anyone telling you what your style, substance, or happiness should look like,' she said.
target: Lena, 28, penned ‘Why I'm on Team Weirdo For Life’ for the May 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 .