For decades, the idea of standing tall carried considerable political and social baggage. Slouching was considered a sign of decadence. By the early 20th century, posture tests were ubiquitous in the U.S. military, workplaces, and schools.
According to the criteria of
But science doesn’t support that popular belief, Beth Linker argues in her new book, “Slouch: Posture Panic in Modern America.” Linker, a historian and sociologist of science at the University of Pennsylvania, was recently interviewed by The New York Times; The conversation has been edited for clarity.
Nice to meet you.
Your posture looks pretty good. And it doesn’t matter—that’s the whole point of my book. It’s misinformation.
With the rise of eugenics in the early 20th century, certain scientists began to worry that in “civilized” peoples—people no longer performing physical labor but instead enjoying the fruits of mechanized transportation, industrialization, and leisure— Slouching could lead to degeneration, a setback in human progress.
Correcting posture became part of “race improvement” projects, particularly for white Anglo-Saxon men, but also for middle-class women and blacks. Poor posture became stigmatized and defined as a disability. People with postural “defects” were regularly discriminated against in workplaces, educational settings, and immigration offices.
Additionally, at this time, good posture was understood to be an effective way to avoid deadly diseases. For much of the 20th century, posture awareness campaigns were seen as a cost-effective way to improve national health, against more costly health investments such as improvements in housing, infrastructure, and nationalized health insurance coverage.
Proponents of the position also tended to hold individuals responsible for their own deteriorating health, rather than looking at structural problems. They would blame the back pain sufferer for causing the problem, for not being able to sit and stand properly, for being slouched.
And you maintain that that was unfair.
There really was no evidence of causality, then or now.
I believe posture therapy can be a powerful tool in relieving existing back pain. I myself go to a physiotherapist for this. What I question is how much posture correction can do for a healthy, pain-free person in terms of preventing future illness and the inevitability of aging.
Do we even have a good definition of what good or bad posture is? No. Additionally, the human body is incredibly dynamic and each of our anatomies is, to some extent, different.
In short, you argue that there is no link between a person’s stance and morality, and that there may be no connection to long-term health.
In some ways, it is 20th century phrenology. We use posture to judge character, intelligence and physical ability. For example, if you are stooped, that also means that you are lazy in some way.
It is superficial to estimate what another person can or cannot do based on their posture. In terms of long-term health, I think there is still no consensus on that.
#posture #correction #helped #improve #personal #health #years