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Natalia Mehlman Petrzela

MSNBC Columnist

Natalia Mehlman Petrzela is associate professor of history at The New School in New York City. She is the author of two books, most recently "Fit Nation: The Gains and Pains of America's Exercise Obsession," and the host of the "Past Present" podcast. 

Natalia Mehlman Petrzela is associate professor of history at The New School in New York City. She is the author of two books, most recently "Fit Nation: The Gains and Pains of America's Exercise Obsession," and the host of the "Past Present" podcast. 


Latest from Natalia Mehlman Petrzela

74d ago

RFK Jr. has a distinct appeal when it comes to young male voters

RFK Jr.’s focus on fitness and a specifically male outrage alongside the likes of Joe Rogan has garnered support from a generation of young men who don’t see themselves in Trump or Biden.
96d ago

Don’t let the painful testimonies of Oct. 7 hostages be diminished or distorted

Hamas hostage videos and other evidence haven’t stopped dangerous online conspiracy theories, disinformation and denialism from forming around the tragedy.
159d ago

How feminists have failed Israeli victims of sexual violence

Why have feminists not been more outspoken about the sexual violence visited upon Israeli women on Oct. 7?
182d ago

The SAT is a better measure of wealth than aptitude. We should still keep it, though.

Wanting to abolish the use of the SAT and similar tests in the admissions process is both understandable and self-defeating.
238d ago

Ramaswamy amplifies a strange, outdated myth to back a genuinely good idea

GOP presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy wants to add a physical fitness to the SAT, so students would be scored on fitness tasks like running a mile, pull-ups and sit-ups.
258d ago

Alcohol is killing more women than ever – we need to talk about why

Alcohol consumption has become not only acceptable but has been aggressively marketed to women as a form of empowerment, from "Rose All Day" to "mommy juice."
286d ago

Barbie’s legacy is important. It’s also incredibly complicated.

This tension in what Barbie really represents is what makes Greta Gerwig’s movie more than an extremely expensive infomercial.

Trump's 1776 education plan part of a decades-long, right-wing movement — but scarier

Whether in 1940, 1968 or 2020, this genre of conservative complaint is consistent. Because outrage over a curriculum is almost always a way to target less tangible social and cultural forces.