Ilana Glazer and the Art of the Demisogynized Pregnancy Experience—On Screen, and IRL

As part of Vogue's limited audio series, Birth Stories, the “Broad City” alum talks about her new film, “False Positive,” and becoming a mother for the first time.

Doulas and midwives often tell their clients to record their birth stories so they don't forget the moments leading up to how they became mothers. But this past year has changed many of these narratives as the global pandemic has impacted birthing people in ways big and small. Some welcomed children alone, as hospitals struggled to contain the virus. Others have been isolated from friends and family, trading in-person celebrations for face-time and Zoom calls. As we prepare to celebrate Mother's Day, Birth Stories—a limited audio series hosted by Vogue Beauty Director and pandemic mom Celia Ellenberg—spotlights the resilience of women and the weird, wild, and wonderful experience of bringing life into the world during a time of unimaginable loss. 

In False Positive, Hulu's forthcoming thriller that nods to Rosemary's Baby, Broad City alum Ilana Glazer stars in her first feature film, which examines our patriarchal medical system and how pregnancy can often cause women to feel as though they've lost agency over their own bodies. Glazer, who co-wrote the script with writer and director John Lee, plays Lucy, an upwardly mobile millennial who turns to IVF treatments after struggling to conceive on her own. When the pandemic hit, the film's release was pushed back (it premieres on the streaming platform on June 25), giving Glazer time to work on another project with her partner, David Rooklin: this Summer, the actor, writer, producer, director and comedian will become a mother for the first time. 

Here, Glazer talks about how her own path to pregnancy has been uneventful compared to her character's, while revealing that many of the film's themes have informed her experience, which has been heavy on what she refers to as a “demisogynized pregnancy education”—and, thankfully, light on psychological torture.

This story originally appeared on: Vogue - Author:Celia Ellenberg