KQED Radio
KQED Newssee more
Latest Newscasts:KQEDNPR
Player Sponsored By
upper waypoint

Beth Linker’s Book ‘Slouch’ Recounts History of ‘Posture Panic’

at
Save ArticleSave Article
Failed to save article

Please try again

Beth Linker's new book is "Slouch: Posture Panic in Modern America" (MHamiltonVisuals/Princeton University Press)

There was a time when the nation was gripped by an epidemic that leaders felt went to the moral core of the country: bad posture. In her new book, “Slouch,” University of Pennsylvania historian Beth Linker recounts how curved spines, rounded shoulders, and slumped backs were considered reflections of moral fitness, the ability to hold a job, and even intelligence. We’ll talk to Linker about this “posture panic” that contributes to the ableism we see today, and we’ll hear from you: How’s your posture?

Guests:

Beth Linker, author, "Slouch: Posture Panic in Modern America"; professor of history and sociology of science, University of Pennsylvania

Sponsored

lower waypoint
next waypoint
Violence Escalates in Sudan as Civil War Enters Second YearNPR's Sarah McCammon on Leaving the Evangelical ChurchKQED Youth Takeover: We’re Getting a WNBA TeamRainn Wilson from ‘The Office’ on Why We Need a Spiritual RevolutionForum From the Archives: Remembering Glide Memorial's Cecil WilliamsErik Aadahl on the Power of Sound in FilmKQED Youth Takeover: How Can San Jose Schools Create Safer Campuses?Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments in Major Homelessness CasePercival Everett’s Novel “James” Recenters the Story of Huck FinnHave We Entered Into a New Cold War Era?