Are You a “Woman-Child?” This Writer of Girls Tells Us the Tell-Tale Signs!

Who doesn’t watch Girls these days? Um, exactly…

So we were excited to get the chance to talk with Girls writer Deb Schoeneman, the genius behind many of those famed lines, awkward sex scenes, and Shoshanna. Schoenemen has written a Kindle Single—a story that’s not a book or an essay (it runs about the length of a pedicure!)—about women-children (uh… a.k.a all the characters on Girls).

Can you give us your exact definition of a woman-child?

A woman-child is a woman over the age of 21 who still wants to dress, act, and consume pop culture like a girl.

Do you think you’ll find them more in a certain part of the US?

I think they have always been big in Japan but now are very big on both coasts of the US. Since most pop culture brews in LA and NYC, they’re most prominent there.

Help us figure out if we’re a woman-child by telling us what websites we’d go to, who’s twitter we are obsessed with, who’s instagram inspires us, etc…?

Women-children love Hellogiggles, which is why I interviewed cofounder Sophia Rossi and contributor Sarah Heyward in my e-book. They would probably be following their style gurus Zooey Deschanel, Katy Perry, and Nicki Minaj on Twitter.

Does identifying yourself as a woman-child make it more OK to admit to liking pop culture phenoms like Twilight and One Direction?

Yes! You are free to love all boy bands, YA novels, and teen heartthrobs.

It seems like an association with the word prude is appropriate here, thoughts?

Women-children are not about dressing sexy and giving off a sensual vibe. They are more about Twilight than 50 Shades of Gray. It’s not a style choice that attracts guys. It attracts other women to be your friends and supporters. I actually think it’s a turn-off to guys.

It also seems like the association with keds and overalls could be appropriate here.

Definitely. Also, sparkly and neon nail polish, Hello Kitty accessories, bedazzled iPhone cases, polka dots, bows on dresses, headbands, zip-up sweatshirts, and Lisa Frank stickers.

What’s an appropriate age for a woman-child to fully become a woman?

Never. Or maybe when she has her own kids, so then she can get her girlie fix through her children.

Do you think there are any tell-tale signs from childhood of becoming a woman-child?

You probably have to enjoy childhood and adolescence to want to prolong it. The women-children I know all really enjoyed their upbringing. They’re also having a pretty good time now, too.

What inspired you to do a Kindle Single?

The publisher of Amazon’s Kindle Singles approached me to find out if I was interested in writing one. This was an idea I was thinking about writing about for a magazine, but it really works for the e-book length (35 pages of a word doc). It’s somewhere between a magazine article and a book. I also wanted to write something that I could finish right before my baby was born. Movie and TV scripts take a long time to complete, and I was craving the feeling of creative closure on a project.

Will there be more of them?

Maybe. I liked the process a lot, but I have to get back to my movie and TV scripts now that my self-imposed maternity leave is winding down.

You can get Deb’s Kindle Single here!

Are you a woman-child?

More Girls…

Ooh, Lena Dunham Has a New Boyfriend!

Find Out When Girls Is Coming Back to TV

Finally, the Girls Parody We’ve All Been Waiting For… Boys

Photo: HBO