IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Natalia Mehlman Petrzela

historian and author of "Fit Nation: The Gains and Pains of America's Exercise Obsession"

Natalia Mehlman Petrzela is associate professor of history at The New School in New York City. She is the author of two books, most recently "Fit Nation: The Gains and Pains of America's Exercise Obsession" and the host of the "Past Present" podcast. 

Natalia Mehlman Petrzela is associate professor of history at The New School in New York City. She is the author of two books, most recently "Fit Nation: The Gains and Pains of America's Exercise Obsession" and the host of the "Past Present" podcast. 

Latest from Natalia Mehlman Petrzela

21d ago

Ramaswamy amplifies a strange, outdated myth to back a genuinely good idea

GOP presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy wants to add a physical fitness to the SAT, so students would be scored on fitness tasks like running a mile, pull-ups and sit-ups.
40d ago

Alcohol is killing more women than ever – we need to talk about why

Alcohol consumption has become not only acceptable but has been aggressively marketed to women as a form of empowerment, from "Rose All Day" to "mommy juice."
69d ago

Barbie’s legacy is important. It’s also incredibly complicated.

This tension in what Barbie really represents is what makes Greta Gerwig’s movie more than an extremely expensive infomercial.

Trump's 1776 education plan part of a decades-long, right-wing movement — but scarier

Whether in 1940, 1968 or 2020, this genre of conservative complaint is consistent. Because outrage over a curriculum is almost always a way to target less tangible social and cultural forces.