Lena Dunham defends Taylor Swift's love life: It's 'perfectly normal'

Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Lena Dunham thinks close friend Taylor Swift has a "perfectly normal" love life.

The 30-year-old actress said on Monday's episode of The Howard Stern Show that it's "unfair" the 27-year-old singer is "held to impossibly high standards" while dating in the public eye.

"It's so hard," Dunham acknowledged. "I think about the relationships that I had in my early twenties and if they had been public, it would've been a disaster."

"I mean, not to repeat age-old feminist points, but it's like, you know, any male actor her age who's going out and dating is applauded. To just have a perfectly normal amount of romantic partners but be held to impossibly high standards by the press, like, it's just an unfair and unwinnable game," she said.

Swift was last linked to actor Tom Hiddleston in 2016. She previously dated DJ Calvin Harris, environmental activist Conor Kennedy, actor Taylor Lautner, and singers Harry Styles, John Mayer and Joe Jonas.

"You know, I went out on a normal amount of dates in my early 20s, and I got absolutely slaughtered for it," the star said in the May issue of Vogue. "And it took a lot of hard work and altering my decision-making. I didn't date for two and a half years."

Dunham is a close pal of Swift's who appeared in the singer's star-studded "Bad Blood" music video. Swift had nothing but praise for Dunham in a post celebrating the actress' 30th birthday in May.

"One of my favorite people in the world turns 30 today and I can't help but think about how different my life would've been without our long talks, arts and crafts projects, and running-into-each-others'-arms-hugs," she wrote at the time. "Thank you for being you, Lena. Everyone who knows you is better because of it."

Dunham is best known as the creator and star of the HBO series Girls. The show co-stars Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke and Zosia Mamet, and will premiere a sixth and final season Feb. 12.