Lena Dunham unveils new ‘Sick’ tattoo

'Sometimes the thing you’re most scared of being called is the best thing you can call yourself'

(AFP/Getty Images)

Lena Dunham has revealed a new tattoo which seemingly pays homage to her experiences with chronic illness.

The Girls co-creator and star uploaded a photograph of her latest inking on Instagram on Monday. It shows the word “Sick” written on the back of her neck in a font made to look like one long strand of rope.

“Sometimes the thing you’re most scared of being called is the best thing you can call yourself,” Dunham wrote in the caption underneath her photo.

Dunham has previously been outspoken about her struggles with endometriosis, an extremely painful condition in which a woman’s uterine lining grows outside of their uterus. In February 2018 she underwent a hysterectomy to tackle her symptoms, marking her ninth surgical procedure.

The writer and actor tagged five women in her post, all of whom have ties to chronic illnesses.

They include novelist Porochista Khakpour, who suffers from Lyme disease, American filmmaker Jennifer Brea, who documents her experiences with multiple illnesses online and two women who also suffer from endometriosis.

In her caption, Dunham offered thanks to her “sisters in this dizzying but starry slog”, adding: “I am lasso’d to you!”

The 32-year-old also thanked Haven Studio, the woman-owned private tattoo studio that describes itself as a “body positive safe space for women” and presumably gave Dunham the tattoo.

Dunham’s post has been liked more than 10,000 times and prompted a flurry of supportive comments from women praising her for taking ownership of her body in this way.

“I have endo. I’m struggling these days. This made me cry [sic],” wrote one person.

“You’re my hero,” added another.