For immediate release: December 23, 1997
Contact: Teresa Sokol Thomas, (412) 268-3580
Fat History Gives the Skinny On Fat
PITTSBURGH--The start of a new year -- at least for most of us -- means a vow to diet and to get into shape. Beyond the obvious health considerations, did you ever wonder why getting skinny tops our lists of resolutions?
A new book, Fat History, provides the "skinny" on our obsession with dieting and fat and tells us why Americans are fatter and more concerned about weight gain than other societies. In it, Carnegie Mellon social historian Peter N. Stearns describes the changes in values, behaviors, and U.S. culture that cause us to focus on calories.
For many years, Stearns has devoted his time to the exploration of research topics not previously open to historical analysis, such as old age, masculinity and emotions.
Now he's taken on fat. Stearns says our concern about weight and diet is not a centuries-old issue, and has fairly modern origins in the 1920s. "Fat History" also is an unconventional behavioral history. It uses anecdotes and sources such as Ebony, Gourmet, Lancome beauty product advertising, and conventional sources like Journal of the American Medical Association reports to tell the story of fat's transformation in our society.
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