Girls is a TV series on HBO that centers around four narcissistic 20-somethings struggling to make it in New York City. It’s a concept that has been done plenty of times before, yet no show is able to capture the realism of trying to make it as a young adult quite like Dunham’s creation.
Girls manages to display the ugly side of growing up which serves as a refreshing counterpoint to the usual glitz and glamour we are used to seeing on TV. The series has no trouble being frank with us and is able to provide viewers with the nitty-gritty side of things no matter how cringe-worthy it may be. The characters on Girls are so unique and outlandish that they deserve their own MBTI® list. So without further ado, let’s dive into the personality types of these lost millennial souls.
10. Shoshanna - ESFJ
Shoshanna may be deflowered, but she is NOT devalued.
Shoshanna cares a lot about her social status and how the world sees her. Her biggest fear is people assuming she is dead when she is not, so she constantly wants people to be aware of her achievements and whereabouts in life. Shoshanna is a social butterfly and even describes herself as one. She is very concerned with fashion and style, always sporting eccentric outfits and hairstyles that cater to her unique personality. Out of all the girls, Shosh seems to be the most realistic when it comes to her career goals, and unlike the others, she thrives in a more traditional office setting (even if that office setting is in Japan!)
Shoshanna: “Sometimes I feel like I’m in ‘The Truman Show’ but it’s like, really just a walking American Apparel ad and I don’t even know it.”
9. Ray - ENTP
Ray is a straight up ENTP through and through. ENTP’s are described as being debaters, and making counterpoints towards the four main girls on the show and their zeitgeisty ways is what Ray does best. Often seen as the voice of reason on the show, Ray basically represents what audience members of Girls are thinking: that these young women are entitled, spoiled, and oblivious in the most satirized way possible.
Sometimes his critical way of thinking can be seen by the others as “dark and cynical”, which can often be the case. The girls tend to see Ray as a grumpy old man who exists to wag his finger at them, and this is most notable when Shoshanna breaks up with Ray and has this to say about him:
Shoshanna: “You hate everything! Seriously, you hate the sound of children playing and you hate all your living relatives, you hate people who wear sunglasses, like even during the day, you hate going out to dinner which you know I love, you hate colors, you hate pillows, you hate ribbons, you hate everything! I can’t be the only thing you like!”
8. Elijah - ESFP
Elijah: “Hey, let’s have the type of night where it’s like 5 am and one of us has definitely punched someone who has been on a Disney Channel show.”
Elijah is an ESFP, otherwise known as “The Entertainer”. It helps that the actor who portrays Elijah is played by Broadway actor Andrew Rannells whose theatrical mannerisms shine through in his character. Whether he’s performing in the musical rendition of White Men Can’t Jump or belting Demi Lovato’s “Cool for the Summer”, Elijah is always willing to put on a show.
Like a true ESFP, Elijah lives for the moment. He is never too concerned about the future, always focused on the “here and now” details. His biggest priority seems to be having a good time which is most emphasized in season 2 episode 3 when he goes out of his way to have the best possible partying experience at the club with DJ’s Andrew & Andrew.
7. Jessa - ESTP
Jessa: “You know what the weirdest part about having a job is? You have to be there every day. Even on the days you don’t feel like it.”
The best word to describe Jessa would be “Impulsive”. Her addiction to heroin, her surprise marriage to a man she barely knows, and her affair with Adam are just a few of the many decisions she makes without giving much thought into the potential consequences. Jessa lives for the moment and this behavior, although somewhat noble, doesn’t seem to have a positive effect on her life. She often falls into a depression as a result of her actions and despite her careless approach, it is clear that Jessa often feels a lot of guilt.
Jessa’s behavior hurts her personal relationships as well. It ruins her relationship with Hannah and has ruined many of her past relationships. In season 3, we learn she used to have a best friend growing up named Season who faked her own death just to get Jessa out of her life. Ouch!
6. Charlie - ISFP
Sometimes, Charlie is too nice for his own good. Hannah even mentions in her diary that in Marnie and Charlie’s relationship, Marnie feels as though she is “trapped in a prison of his own kindness.” The poor guy keeps getting the short end of the stick when it comes to his love life despite the fact that all he wants to do is please his girlfriend. Typical for the ISFP personality type, Charlie struggles with change especially when it comes to his romantic relationships. He has trouble ending things with Marnie despite the fact that their relationship is unhealthy because he likes the security and comfort that comes from being with the same person.
Charlie: “I decided on you. I like the smell of your hair and the sound of your voice and I f***ing decided on you.”
5. Marnie - ISTJ
Marnie: “You can’t break up with me! I wouldn’t be eating pizza in front of you if I actually liked you…”
Marnie is someone who is heavily concerned about how the rest of the world sees her. Status is something that is extremely important to Marnie, whether it’s her relationship status, her career, or her artistic accomplishments. She is extremely anal and uptight when it comes to events that are supposed to be considered laid back and fun, like in season 3 episode 7 “Beach House” when she tries to control the entire vacation by having assigned rooms and conducting a strict schedule of events that suggest the lifestyle of four women that they each fail to represent. Basically, Marnie wants her life to replicate a Pinterest board when in reality she and her friends are unemployed 20-somethings with extremely narcissistic personas.
Her uptight approach to life often serves as a weakness throughout the show, especially within her friend groups. While the rest of the girls are much more free-spirited in nature, Marnie is constantly struggling for power and control. Her insistent need to present herself in the most attractive light often leads others to see her as vain and contrived. Remember when she performed her own rendition of “Stronger” by Kanye West? “Cringe-worthy” wouldn’t even begin to describe it!
4. Hannah - INFP
Hannah: “I don’t want you to freak out, but I think I may be the voice of my generation.”
Hannah wants to do everything in life “for the story”. Sometimes she has difficulty seeing her peers as real people rather than potential subjects to write about in her blog entries and e-book. Jessa and Adam both call her out on this, yet although Hannah loves her friends she often seems to care more about her own personal gain.
During season 1 in the episode titled “Welcome to Bushwick a.k.a The Crackcident,” Adam claims that Hannah doesn’t really want to know him, she just wants to write about him in her diary. Her habit of seeing the people around her as “writing material” rather than living breathing human beings is only one of the many reasons Hannah is such a flawed character. She also struggles to act like an adult and resorts to living in a childish manner, something that is a common weakness in INFP personality types.
3. Adam - ISTP
Adam: “If you died, the world would blur… I wouldn’t know what a tree was.”
Adam is the most physical and animalistic character on Girls. His brutish behavior can often come across as “9-1-1 dial” worthy, yet we as viewers can’t help but find ourselves fascinated by this funny-faced specimen. Everything from his mannerisms to his actions come across as strange and uncivilized. Adam’s behavior is often like that of a caveman where he basically does whatever the hell he wants without considering the consequences of his actions. (A Girls character who doesn’t consider their future outcomes? Never seen that before!)
Jessa even describes him as looking like “the original man” which can also easily sum up his entire persona. It almost feels as though Adam is not fit for this century, as though he dropped into the millennial world via time machine sent from the paleolithic era.
2. Desi - ENFJ
Hannah’s description for Desi: “He looks like someone in the Pacific Northwest knit a man.”
The best word to sum up Desi is “pretentious”. Although he presents himself to be a pained artist, he is basically one of the most privileged characters on the show. Desi doesn’t seem to have an authentic bone his body until the final season when he pretty much admits that he is a phony and that everything he does is just “acting”.
Desi: I’m not a musician, bella. Never have been, was just acting like one. Before that, I was just acting like an actor, and before that, I was just acting like being a big game photographer. I’m always acting like I’m something, but now I’m like…done.
1. Fran - ENTJ
Fran: “Hannah wants to do something rude, disruptive, and inappropriate. What a twist!”
Fran is basically the opposite of Hannah in every way. While Hannah acts on emotion and could not care less about what other people think about her, Fran is very concerned with how the world sees him. He cares deeply about being seen as civilized and put-together, while Hannah, on the other hand, would much rather have people see her as daring. Their clash in personalities is ultimately what leads to their breakup.
