Aubrey Plaza's Quick Recovery from Husband's Death Sparks Outrage

Aubrey Plaza has sparked outrage with her pregnancy with her boyfriend just one year and four months after her husband's death. Many people believe she is moving on too quickly and that her husband's death was not given enough time to be mourned.

Plaza, who is known for her roles in Parks and Recreation and The White Lotus, has been in a relationship with her boyfriend Chris Abbott since last April. The couple was spotted at the Tony Awards, where Plaza was wearing a dress that showcased her pregnancy.

About a month after her husband Jeff Baena's death, Plaza appeared on the podcast Good Hang hosted by her friend Amy Poehler. She talked about her experience with grief, saying that sometimes she wants to 'dive into it' and be in it, while other times she wants to get away from it.

Grief expert Mónica Lidón notes that society still judges grief and new relationships differently, depending on who experiences them. 'It is often understood or accepted sooner when a man rebuilds his life after a loss, while when a woman does so there are more judgments, more questions and even external feelings of guilt.'

Another researcher Raquel Mascaraque notes that no one knows what kind of grieving process Plaza has experienced. 'Perhaps she experienced it within the relationship.' She says that grief is not just about the loss, but also about the anticipation of the loss.

Lidón adds that in addition to managing the pain of the loss and rebuilding a life, the person has to face judgment from others. 'There is a huge need to feel understood, but they often receive criticism about how they should be grieving.'

With these points in mind, Mascaraque says that what matters is not that time passes, but what is done with it. 'What we seek is evolution, growth and the development of new tools that help us manage and regulate our emotions, and that requires work.'

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAÍS USA Edition.