In the Season 2 opener of the male-prostitute comedy-drama Hung, Ray, the well-endowed main character, gets hired to “service” a heavily pregnant woman. At first, he holds back because he says he’s worried about hurting the baby — a myth that a lot of us fall for.
But when he’s pushed, Ray reveals his real worry: Becoming emotionally involved. Being attracted to a pregnant lady is no problem, he reports; in fact, when he was with his ex-wife, he was “almost drunk on” the heady sexiness of boinking while pregnant. Opening that Pandora's Box worries him, and the episode ends with him not schtupping, but holding his client in a satisfied, post-coital spoon. Yikers.
It’s one of those situations that made viewers squirm for many reasons. But I think the basis of it all is: Can we find pregnant women sexy, or is this too tough of a taboo?
There are a lot of reasons this might be disturbing to a viewer, by the way. This woman isn’t just feeling sexy and pregnant — she’s hiring a stranger to drill her. And if there’s one thing we’ve all learned, nothing makes people feel more entitled to judge you than becoming a mom: You can’t even sip a Diet Coke in public without inviting insults, or at least well-meaning questions. Hiring a prostidude? Get ready for the “you’re a mama now” police, as if spawning robbed us of any personality other than a Stepford mom's.
But let’s just consider for a moment: Can pregnancy be a sexy time? In the movie Away We Go, the main characters (played by John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph) travel to different cities, looking for a place to raise their soon-to-be family. They come across a lame crunchy-hippie couple who creep them out on many levels, including their TMI revelations of sixth-month sex being the best. Everyone goes “eeeyuw.” And my reaction was — oh come on. Really? Do we have to go there?
In an interview posted on HBO.com (warning: mild spoiler alert), the actress playing the pregnant woman, Kathryn Hahn, puts it more succinctly: “People think pregnancy is this untouchable nine months, when in fact my experience and all my girlfriends’ was — it’s actually a really horny time.” She had just given birth when she took the role, in fact, so all this was fresh in her mind. The most we explore about your average pregnant woman, she says, is “her appetite” — for food, not sex. We’re supposed to become these cartoons when there’s a baby up the spout, but the reality is so much more complex.
For me, the first trimester was outstandingly sexy. And I’ve complained before about the pain of pelvic rest — not just tamping down my physical desire, but the emotional isolation that resulted. I know I’m not the only one.
As we watch this character develop over the season, we’ll find out why she’s resorting to calling Ray — and see how re-experiencing old feelings, for the sake of pleasing his client, affects his emotional state. But I’m more interested in my own reactions as I see this first-for-TV: a horny pregnant woman who’s a fully developed character, not a punch line.
Have you seen this Hung episode? Does it give you the icks? Do you feel sexy when you’re pregnant? Tell us in the comments!
Photo via AOL Video
