I always scratch my head when people use the term “women’s issues,” which could literally mean anything. I’m a woman who tends to focus on economic issues, but I have female friends who are interested in the environment, health care or gun control. So shouldn’t these all be considered women’s issues?

Stereotypically, “women’s issues” are those related to birth control or reproductive rights. Though I wish people realized women care a lot about other issues too, some women in the media perpetuate the idea that women should always have birth control on their minds.

Lena Dunham has been making my blood boil recently. The Girls showrunner recently came under fire for describing a sexual encounter she had written about in her book, Not That Kind of Girl, in which she discusses bribing her sister to “kiss her on the lips for five seconds” and prying open her sister’s vagina because her curiosity got the best of her. After she blasted the right wing for critiquing her actions, I realized how concerned I should be that this woman — who might have been more disgusted had a man discussed touching his little sister during his childhood — has a lot of influence when it comes to a woman’s vote.

Her campaign in collaboration with Planned Parenthood, “Women Are Watching,” has garnered support from celebrities, with stars like Mindy Kaling, Leslie Mann and Sarah Silverman flaunting their “Lena Loves Planned Parenthood” T-shirts. In a video filmed for Glamour and Planned Parenthood, Dunham claims that “the same way the media traffics in unrealistic images of women that make you feel like your body isn’t good enough or right enough, well, there are politicians who want to control your body another way — by telling you when and how you can seek reproductive health and counsel.”

When I tried to see what she meant by this, I came across a column she wrote for Planned Parenthood, describing how Republican Senate hopeful Cory Gardner is “all about letting your boss tell you what kind of birth control your insurance should cover.” But in a guest column for The Denver Post, Gardner actually argued for legal over-the-counter birth control pills, claiming “getting the politics out of contraception will improve the lives of women all over the country.”

I’m sick of celebrities calling for the government to stop limiting their birth control options but being perfectly fine with the government intervening between an individual and his or her insurance company, telling that insurance company or business what it should be offering in coverage plans.

Dunham, you do not speak for me. I’m sure you don’t speak for many women across this country. To assume women belong to a demographic that, by default, should go to the polls on the basis of reproductive issues alone undermines the intellectual diversity and independence of women in this country.

Though celebrities such as Dunham and Silverman have the right to express their political views, don’t believe these women “represent” you. Regardless of your views on abortion or birth control, celebrities assume this is the only issue resting on your plate, and they assume it will predict who you’ll vote for in any race.

I didn’t vote because celebrities wore shirts depicting their love for Planned Parenthood. I didn’t vote because Lil Jon told me to “turn out” while Lena Dunham danced around a room in her undergarments. And I most certainly didn’t vote because Silverman rubbed a napkin against her vagina and auctioned it off in protest of Rick Perry’s campaign to restrict access to abortions.

Whatever your political affiliation, please vote as a representative of yourself — of your own ideas and concerns, whether they are about taxes, student loans or birth control. When you vote because celebrities told you to feel a certain way, you’re putting your own self-interest and independence at risk.

Caroline Carlson is a senior government and politics and information systems major. She can be reached at ccarlsondbk@gmail.com.