Getting
Physical: The Rise of Fitness Culture in America
Book Reviews
Getting
Physical: The Rise of Fitness Culture in America. Shelly McKenzie. Lawrence:
University Press of Kansas, 2013. 254 pp. $34.95 cloth.
This
comprehensive approach to the history of fitness culture in the United States
takes a much needed look at the history of the movement and its present day
iterations. McKenzie addresses not only the change over the past century in the
type of physical activity but also the changing attitude towards fitness and
health in modern America.
In a time where
individuals are increasingly blamed for their poor health, McKenzie gives
context to the decrease in physical activity as a nation. Though many
historians have attributed the phenomenon to the rise of suburban life post
World War II, very few have examined the effect of suburbanization on bodies -
particularly around physical fitness. While it is clear that modern
conveniences decreased physical activity, what McKenzie illuminates is a shift
in perception about physical activity. It moves from the realm of being part of
who we are as humans to being a completely separate activity that people began
to engage in. While subtle, it may be the key to figuring out how Americans
adopted such a sedentary lifestyle despite the increased emphasis on physical
activity.
As an
historian, McKenzie uses primary sources to gather evidence about the increase
in American's preoccupation with fitness culture over the past century. Her
analysis of celebrity fitness instructors is worth reading just for its picture
into American culture during that time. In addition, she documents trends
within the fitness industry, whether the emphasis on weight reduction which
began in the 1950s or the growth of health clubs in the 1980s. A chapter on
running and jogging chronicles both the rise of the movement and the rise of
anti-running sentiment in the United States.
Throughout,
McKenzie provides examples of government and private sector campaigns with
specific messages about health. Often, this documentation serves as a barometer
for the most popular ideas of that time. For example, in the 1960s, physicians
discouraged exercise for women wanting to lose weight, focusing instead on
dieting and reducing caloric intake. By the 1980s, however, fitness was
considered essential to weight maintenance. The drastic changes throughout the
decades, particularly the attitudes of the medical community towards fitness
demonstrate that it was not necessarily a given that fitness would catch on.
Though not the
emphasis, the book does cover the consumer culture aspect of fitness. The book
mainly sheds light on the complex business of gyms and fitness centers along
with celebrity fitness programs and leaves the door open for a more thorough
examination of how fitness is marketed and sold and continues to shape and be
shaped by consumer culture. The conclusion leaves us with some troubling
thoughts about how separating fitness from our daily routines may have actually
decreased the amount of physical activity Americans engage in and certainly the
pleasure of physical activity. Moreover, it often excludes the working class,
both for concerns of time and money.
This book is a
much-needed look at the rise of a phenomenon that seems so integral to American
culture but that is, at times, easy to overlook. Overall, it is a great
addition to the literature on fitness culture and should be read by those who
are interested in public health or consumer culture.
~~~~~~~~
By D. M.
Greenwell, Drexel University
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The Author explains the changes of fitness culture in America from the
1950s through the 1980s, but fits well for today’s generation as well. A review
from the journal of American History stated “Early twenty-first century
conceptions of physical fitness are often assumed to be scientific truths . . .
Shelly McKenzie's Getting Physical reveals that these truths have a specific cultural
history encompassing a range of understandings and experiences of the fit body
from the 1950s to the present.” (Journal
of American History). Also stated in the journal of American culture “McKenzie
highlights two important moments in fitness and exercise, governmental support
for children's fitness and the rise of jogging culture.” (Journal of
American Culture). Fitness is key in living a healthy life seeing how it
has evolved over the years is very interesting. This books is very well
researched. The author describes the history of the culture of fitness in the
United States since the 1950s with great detail. She is very objective and
comprehensive in her approach, giving a detailed analysis surrounding jogging,
health clubs, exercise TV/videos and the like.
Reference
Greenwell, D. M. (2014). Getting Physical: The Rise of
Fitness Culture in America. Journal Of Popular Culture, 47(4),
913-914. doi:10.1111/jpcu.12173
