Uncover the fascinating history of women’s everyday experiences with fitness for health, wellness, and bodily appearance through two separate visits from authors who explore the history of women’s exercise and fitness from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. Learn how fads and conflicts over women’s fitness have influenced social change in relation to gender roles and feminism, citizenship, racism and resistance, consumer capitalism, the positive and pernicious effects of "wellness culture," the workplace, sexuality, and more. The first class features Danielle Friedman, Let’s Get Physical: How Women Discovered Exercise and Reshaped the World (2022), whose book chronicles the entrepreneurs who pioneered the barre method, Jazzercise, city marathons, modern yoga studios, and other fitness trends. The second class features Ava Purkiss, Fit Citizens: A History of Black Women’s Exercise from Post-Reconstruction to Postwar America (2023), whose groundbreaking study reveals that physical activity was not merely a path to health but also a way for Black women to distinguish themselves and strategically support broader efforts for equality and justice.
For an optimal experience, pair these author visits with Author Visit: Vicki Valosik, Swimming Pretty (2024) (Course 12816) and the three-part discussion course "Swimming Lessons: Swimming and Aquatics in Popular Culture, Literature, and Life" (in-person Course 12713 or online course 12843).
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