SCENE ON THE STREET : Baby, It’s You

The shape of things to come has suddenly come into its own: Pregnancy has become beautiful. Oh, the idea of it--given an acceptable set of circumstances--has always switched on a splendid light in the dark room of life.

But you used to hide that light under a bushel of fabric. You’d bulbously set sail down the sidewalk, sending strong men scurrying in embarrassment to the other side of the street. The point is, the joyful appreciation of the fact never extended to the sight of it.

Now, however, an obviously pregnant woman makes the New Man emit a misty smile. And today most people, like these women and couples in Arcadia, Pomona and Pasadena, are upfront about the whole thing: Pregnancy is beautiful. Perhaps not pretty. Just beautiful.