Lena Dunham, a 26-year-old writer for HBO, starred in a controversial ad campaigning for President Obama. Dunham gives listeners advice about their “first time” voting. In Dunham’s clip she makes comments like, “You want to do it with a guy who brought the troops out of Iraq” and “it’s super uncool to be out and about and someone says, ‘Did you vote,’ and ‘No, I didn’t vote, I wasn’t ready’.

If you haven’t guessed, Dunham’s ad plays on the idea of losing your V(oting)-card. Some critics say comparing sex to voting is tasteless, but to college students this is funny. This double entendre is witty and appeals to college aged students.

In Alexandra Petri’s article called Is Voting Like Sex? Lena Dunham’s First Time With Obama, she explains that the ad is aimed towards first voters. She says,

“Voting is a mess. It’s not sexy, unless you prefer your encounters solitary, furtive and surrounded by strangers. It’s about as fun and sassy as anything you do in a church basement. If you’re lucky, the booth doesn’t smell.”

Even though the experience may not be as sexy as the ad makes it sound, it is still “one of those awkward duties of adulthood”.

This ad calls on students to get out and vote. This is exactly why this clip is newsworthy. College aged material is not very common during election season. Which is unfortunate. Funny, interesting material opens a passage into politics. Getting educated on politics is important for college students because it will have an effect on their future.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3jzyKF6M7g