Why Do People Turn into “Larry David” Around Pregnant Women?
Common Myths About Pregnancy, As Seen on Curb Your Enthusiasm
I used to find Curb Your Enthusiasm unwatchable — so many social blunders and outrageous arguments, so much pettiness! But that’s the charm.
In the show, semi-retired TV producer Larry David (played by himself) has too much free time on his hands. “Happy New Year,” the first episode of season 10, kicks off the season’s central arc: Larry holds a grudge against a local coffee shop and eventually opens up a “spite store” to one-up Mocha Joe’s. In the subplot of this opening episode, Larry also has several run-ins with a pregnant woman — Randi, Susie’s friend — and gives her “well-meaning advice.”
Typically, Larry is an outlier in decent society, prone to speaking when the rest of us know to keep our mouths shut. But when it comes to his reactions to Randi’s pregnancy, Larry acts the way many people do: He approaches Randi with unsolicited, unfounded, and unwelcome advice, and when she sticks to her guns, he shames her outright.
Now that I’m pregnant for the first time, I find this episode delightful. A lesson in how not to treat pregnant people, and a reminder of how ubiquitous misinformation about pregnancy is.
