The Gains and Pains of America's Exercise Obsession
October 17, 2022
“The pursuit of fitness... has simultaneously become a universal ideal and a stark dividing line” that reinforces class and racial divisions, according to this comprehensive account from New School history professor Petrzela (Classroom Wars). Documenting how the idea of “fit bodies” evolved from the 19th century, when a “fat” shape indicated affluence and well-being; to the early 20th century, when “feats of strength” were relegated to the circus; to the present, when exercise is “universally” considered essential to health and beauty, Petrzela notes the influence of exercise pioneers (Jack LaLanne; Jim Fixx), celebrity culture, and legal reforms (in particular the passage of Title IX). Key developments include President Eisenhower’s call for “soft Americans” to become stronger and more disciplined as a matter of national security, John F. Kennedy’s more relaxed attitude toward exercise as recreation, and the rise of gyms, televised exercise programs, and jogging in the 1970s and ’80s. Some of Petrzela’s most eye-opening insights involve the evolution of women’s fitness from Jazzercise and other programs that promoted feminine beauty to the rise of women athletes as role models. Throughout, Petrzela critiques the fitness industry’s lack of attention to poor, working-class, and nonwhite communities, and marshals a wealth of information into a coherent narrative. This is a valuable survey of what exercise means in America.