Whether she’s being honored or criticised for her work, Girls creator Lena Dunham is probably one of the most influential voices in feminism today. You would think her advocacy of women’s rights would make her a great role model, but according to her, "there’s no such thing as a perfect feminist".

At Variety’s recent Power of Women luncheon, Dunham gave an inspiring acceptance speech after being honored for her work with the Girls Education & Mentoring Service. The actor, director and writer talked about what it means to be a feminist and how her experiences with sexual assault made her a voice for anti female discrimination. 

"I always tell people – particularly angry internet commentators – that there is no such thing as a perfect feminist, and I am no exception,” she said. "Some phrases that have left my lips in the past: 'What a ho,' 'Hey, hooker,' 'Sup, slut'. Some songs I kept listening to: 'Big Pimpin', 'It's Hard Out There for a Pimp'; age 13, my best friend and me in her bedroom screaming along to Sublime: 'Annie's 12 years old and two more she'll be a whore'."

"Here's the tricky thing about language – it lies about how powerful it is. When I used those words, I felt subversive, naughty, strong. I did not realise how these songs and words were not ways for me to reclaim my feminine power – in fact, they've silenced and shamed the women they purported to describe and reduce them to objects, or worse, punch lines. They celebrated the exploiters, and hid the exploited."

Dunham added: "When I was raped I felt powerless. I felt my value had been determined by someone else, someone who sent me the message that my body was not my own, and my choices were meaningless.”

"It took years to recognise my personal worth was not tied to my assault; the voices telling me I deserved this were phantoms; they were liars. So as a feminist, and a sexual assault survivor, my ultimate goal is to use my experience, my platform, and yes, my privilege, to reverse stigma and give a voice to other survivors."

"Connecting with other survivors reopens our world. Instead of scrambling for power by silencing other women, we're able to mutually strengthen each other through collaboration and support."

So far Dunham’s work has been a great outlet for women across the globe, but after being accused of abusing her sister last year, it’s been a rocky road for the feminist since. From her speech, it’s clear that these past accusations aren’t stopping Dunham in her mission of equality for women.

Watch the full speech below: