Resisting the Idealised 'healthy lifestyle': Medical Mavericks, Fat Activists, and Couch Potatoes in U.S. and Dutch Newspapers (1967-1989)

In the past, advice on healthy living has often been neglected, or even openly defied. However, despite the prevalence of historical resistance against an idealised healthy lifestyle, this phenomenon has seen minimal investigation. Using eight American and Dutch newspapers, this study analyses how v...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inCultural and social history Vol. 18; no. 4; pp. 559 - 584
Main Author Verriet, Jon
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London Routledge 08.08.2021
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Ambiguity
Diet
dieting
Exercise
fat activism
Health
Healthy habits
Journalists
lifestyle
Lifestyles
physical exercise
Potatoes
Social history
United States > US
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Summary:In the past, advice on healthy living has often been neglected, or even openly defied. However, despite the prevalence of historical resistance against an idealised healthy lifestyle, this phenomenon has seen minimal investigation. Using eight American and Dutch newspapers, this study analyses how various 'resisters' found cross-border recognition from journalists for challenging existing norms about diet and exercise. It demonstrates that in the post-war era, lifestyle advice was increasingly contested in the U.S. and the Netherlands, leading to a transnational cacophony on the topic of health, and an increasingly ambiguous role for medical experts.
ISSN:1478-0038
1478-0046
DOI:10.1080/14780038.2021.1933700