Lena Dunham: 'The Internet is a source of true pain'

Actress Lena Dunham was inspired to create a safe space for women with her online newsletter after realizing the Internet was causing her "true pain".

Lena and her Girls co-executive producer Jenni Konner recently launched the weekly Lenny letter, a female-focused publication which features advice columns, essays and product recommendations.

In a new interview with Harper's Bazaar, Lena admits she was motivated to create the online newsletter after feeling down and frustrated by cyberbullies and body-shamers who littered her social media feeds with negative comments.

"I've been put to bed for weeks from reading things about myself on sites that used to be considered feminist gospel," she says. "I love the Internet because every piece of true pain I've experienced as an adult - with the exception of death in the family and breakups - has come from it."

Lena, who recently stepped back from directly posting on Twitter.com herself as a result of the insulting comments, continues, "Celebrities can complain all they want about how cruel Twitter is, but we signed up for it. Who didn't sign up for it are the teenage girls who bully each other to suicide using Twitter.

"There's no shortage of stories of how Twitter and Instagram and Facebook - these incredible tools for self-expression - have also led to girls feeling ostracized, alone..."

Lena is hoping the Lenny newsletter will create an online community to help girls feel included, and says, "We want the newsletter to become a safe place for women on the Internet that's funny and not snarky... We just want to restore some semblance to (sic) safety."