Natalia Mehlman Petrzela's avatar

Natalia Mehlman Petrzela

@nataliapetrzela.bsky.social

646 followers 152 following 159 posts

Historian | Author, FIT NATION (2023) + CLASSROOM WARS (2015) | Host, PAST PRESENT + WELCOME TO YOUR FANTASY | Columnist, MSNBC | Mom | NYC

Natalia Mehlman Petrzela's avatar Natalia Mehlman Petrzela @nataliapetrzela.bsky.social
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"What does it mean to participate in a fitness culture that is ever more inclusive of older people, but also unremittingly obsessed with the aesthetics of eternal youth?"

Read ME (I purposely didn't link to specific accts; check out AI image for vibe)

www.ultraphysical.us/p/on-the-ete...

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Natalia Mehlman Petrzela's avatar Natalia Mehlman Petrzela @nataliapetrzela.bsky.social
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First spotting of the paperback edition of FIT NATION in the wild - and at Politics and Prose, no less! Grateful this book is very much out in the world, in many formats!

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Natalia Mehlman Petrzela's avatar Natalia Mehlman Petrzela @nataliapetrzela.bsky.social
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"What does it mean to participate in a fitness culture that is ever more inclusive of older people, but also unremittingly obsessed with the aesthetics of eternal youth?"

Read ME (I purposely didn't link to specific accts; check out AI image for vibe)

www.ultraphysical.us/p/on-the-ete...

0 replies 1 reposts 1 likes

Natalia Mehlman Petrzela's avatar Natalia Mehlman Petrzela @nataliapetrzela.bsky.social
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The Hill asked me why Biden isn't sharing about his workouts, since that's usually an easy way for politicians to score points for virtue/virility

I think that if he's doing the workouts appropriate for an 80+yo, there's more downside to sharing bc ppl are awful!

thehill.com/homenews/cam...

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Natalia Mehlman Petrzela's avatar Natalia Mehlman Petrzela @nataliapetrzela.bsky.social
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Still beaming over such a special launch event for the paperback of FIT NATION in LA this week! TYSM to Equinox WeHo for hosting and to all the incredible people who came out to talk - and MOVE - together w me!

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Natalia Mehlman Petrzela's avatar Natalia Mehlman Petrzela @nataliapetrzela.bsky.social
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The Hill asked me why Biden isn't sharing about his workouts, since that's usually an easy way for politicians to score points for virtue/virility

I think that if he's doing the workouts appropriate for an 80+yo, there's more downside to sharing bc ppl are awful!

thehill.com/homenews/cam...

0 replies 1 reposts 2 likes

Natalia Mehlman Petrzela's avatar Natalia Mehlman Petrzela @nataliapetrzela.bsky.social
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Today is the paperback release of FIT NATION! So grateful that this book is now out in all formats - hardcover, audiobook, e-book, and now softcover (with some killer blurbs on cover/back!)

Get it today!

www.amazon.com/Fit-Nation-A...?

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Natalia Mehlman Petrzela's avatar Natalia Mehlman Petrzela @nataliapetrzela.bsky.social
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It was so great to meet you - and your wonderful colleagues and students. Thank you so much for being there.

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Adam Rothman's avatar Adam Rothman @adamrothman.bsky.social
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Georgetown's American Studies Program had the pleasure of hearing @nataliapetrzela.bsky.social talk about her book Fit Nation yesterday, a fascinating romp through modern American anxieties about the body.

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Adam "Ask Me About Joe Lancaster" Laats's avatar Adam "Ask Me About Joe Lancaster" Laats @adamlaats.bsky.social
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Thinking about Fit Nation and @nataliapetrzela.bsky.social's work this morning: reading 1840s "hygiene" textbooks for girls, on the dangers of corsets, and promoting the idea that girls need "nearly as much exercise as boys, but of a less violent kind."

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Natalia Mehlman Petrzela's avatar Natalia Mehlman Petrzela @nataliapetrzela.bsky.social
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Loved our conversation so much! Thank you for having me on!

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Natalia Mehlman Petrzela's avatar Natalia Mehlman Petrzela @nataliapetrzela.bsky.social
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Exactly the kind of story that makes you doubt “historical progress”. Absolutely gutting. May Nex Benedict’s family find justice and peace.

2 replies 61 reposts 243 likes

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Ana Marie Cox's avatar Ana Marie Cox @anamariecox.bsky.social
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Do get nerves every time Biden's on tv? Yes, mainly because if he screws up at all, pundits are going to talk about it for weeks and their obsession might convince some voters that a single thing matters more than not falling (further) into fascism. But this is a stupid pundit game, please stop.

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Natalia Mehlman Petrzela's avatar Natalia Mehlman Petrzela @nataliapetrzela.bsky.social
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I am too young! But yes on the crossovers!

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Natalia Mehlman Petrzela's avatar Natalia Mehlman Petrzela @nataliapetrzela.bsky.social
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Noah, we never say that masculinity was ever unproblematic, and as a historian of gender, I’m well aware of the ongoing masculinity crisis discourse (and I read your essay before writing this piece) Awareness of this history can and should mitigate the sense that these anxieties are unprecedented,

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Ilyse Hogue's avatar Ilyse Hogue @ilyseh.bsky.social
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We don't claim a lost ideal of unproblematic masculinity, only that young men are newly adrift in a post gender essentialist world. The piece points out that this can be a good thing as they redefine purpose, but only if we contest the space which currently is rife with grievance politics.

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Natalia Mehlman Petrzela's avatar Natalia Mehlman Petrzela @nataliapetrzela.bsky.social
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Thanks for reading, but I really think you mischaracterize our argument

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Natalia Mehlman Petrzela's avatar Natalia Mehlman Petrzela @nataliapetrzela.bsky.social
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It is compelling now. It’s worth noting too that every young person’s experience is understandably shaped far more by their individual lived experience than a sense of where it fits historically, even if they’re lucky to be in a class that helps them sort through these dynamics from that POV

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Natalia Mehlman Petrzela's avatar Natalia Mehlman Petrzela @nataliapetrzela.bsky.social
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But it doesn’t mean the unease isn’t real, or that it should be taken seriously and empathetically. That’s the point we’re making about RFK and what he represents in 2024. If his appeal evokes a golden age of a kind normative masculinity, we aren’t embracing that ideal but remarking on why

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Natalia Mehlman Petrzela's avatar Natalia Mehlman Petrzela @nataliapetrzela.bsky.social
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Noah, we never say that masculinity was ever unproblematic, and as a historian of gender, I’m well aware of the ongoing masculinity crisis discourse (and I read your essay before writing this piece) Awareness of this history can and should mitigate the sense that these anxieties are unprecedented,

1 replies 3 reposts 2 likes

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Jacqueline Antonovich's avatar Jacqueline Antonovich @jackiantonovich.bsky.social
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I think this is an important article. Boys and young men are out there exploring and questioning what it means to be "a man," and we are failing them. Which opens the door for all sorts of conspiracy thinking.

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Natalia Mehlman Petrzela's avatar Natalia Mehlman Petrzela @nataliapetrzela.bsky.social
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"A virtuous inclination toward protection and self-sufficiency powers Kennedy's appeal, but in equal measure so does a paranoia that invites fascism in the name of fighting authoritarianism."

My latest, co-authored with Ilyse Hogue for MSNBC

#PresidentsDay

www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...

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Ilyse Hogue's avatar Ilyse Hogue @ilyseh.bsky.social
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RFK Jr. is both a spoiler and an attracter of young men disaffected from politics and culture. I wrote about this phenomena with Natalia Mehlman Petrzela.

www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...

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Natalia Mehlman Petrzela's avatar Natalia Mehlman Petrzela @nataliapetrzela.bsky.social
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"A virtuous inclination toward protection and self-sufficiency powers Kennedy's appeal, but in equal measure so does a paranoia that invites fascism in the name of fighting authoritarianism."

My latest, co-authored with Ilyse Hogue for MSNBC

#PresidentsDay

www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...

7 replies 9 reposts 36 likes

Reposted by Natalia Mehlman Petrzela

Prisonculture's avatar Prisonculture @prisonculture.bsky.social
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Reading is important. More people should be supported to read. In the past few years, I've silently witnessed a number of smart people claim that encouraging reading is "elitist." I've quietly fumed and then I launched a micro-press.

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Natalia Mehlman Petrzela's avatar Natalia Mehlman Petrzela @nataliapetrzela.bsky.social
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“Defeating the open conspiracy to deprive students of physical access to books will do little to counteract the more diffuse confluence of forces…depriving students of the skills needed to meaningfully engage with those books in the first place.”YES @adamkotsko.bsky.social
slate.com/human-intere...

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Natalia Mehlman Petrzela's avatar Natalia Mehlman Petrzela @nataliapetrzela.bsky.social
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Upon the horrors of 10/7, I’ve been deeply troubled by the denialism that festers online and IRL.

For Holocaust Remembrance Day, I wrote about this with Mimi Rocah, for MSNBC

www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...

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Natalia Mehlman Petrzela's avatar Natalia Mehlman Petrzela @nataliapetrzela.bsky.social
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Upon the horrors of 10/7, I’ve been deeply troubled by the denialism that festers online and IRL.

For Holocaust Remembrance Day, I wrote about this with Mimi Rocah, for MSNBC

www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...

0 replies 3 reposts 5 likes

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Seth Cotlar's avatar Seth Cotlar @sethcotlar.bsky.social
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It was only a matter of time before the Trumpian right began trying to discredit MLK, Jr. and the 1964 Civil Rights Act as unbearably "woke" and "un-American." Recall that the "1776 Project" from Hillsdale claimed that civil rights activism took a wrong turn in the 60s. www.wired.com/story/charli...

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Erin Bartram's avatar Erin Bartram @erinbartram.bsky.social
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A reminder that we're currently open for pitches from all historians working off the tenure track. 🗃️

1 replies 55 reposts 87 likes

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Natalia Mehlman Petrzela's avatar Natalia Mehlman Petrzela @nataliapetrzela.bsky.social
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I see we’re in another round of discovering that lululemon is not a bastion of inclusivity!

Check out my review of lulu founder Chip Wilson’s memoir, in which he makes crystal clear that exclusion is core to his brand vision

www.wellandgood.com/chip-wilson-...

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Natalia Mehlman Petrzela's avatar Natalia Mehlman Petrzela @nataliapetrzela.bsky.social
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First real day of the year, working on a new book proposal and day 1 of training for a new fitness event. I don’t care if it’s basic to be extra motivated on Jan 1, gotta seize the inspiration wherever ya can! (Also, haven’t used this site much, not sure how earnest productivity content does 😜)

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Sara Georgini's avatar Sara Georgini @sarageorgini.bsky.social
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📚 Calling all contingent scholars + historians working beyond the traditional academy! Need library research access? @susih.bsky.social is here for you. Apply by 3/15 to our Community Scholars Program 🗃️

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Natalia Mehlman Petrzela's avatar Natalia Mehlman Petrzela @nataliapetrzela.bsky.social
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Love getting this New Year’s Eve message! So glad you’re loving FIT NATION, and yes, I LOVE Nikil Saval’s book!

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Karin Wulf's avatar Karin Wulf @kawulf.bsky.social
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Well I’m a fan of the Democracy in Danger podcast & of my colleague @prorogers.bsky.social so this episode was a must listen. Terrific fr his new book on Af American political thought esp appreciated discussion of David Walker’s 1829 appeal. + artists/ writers now. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...

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Rebecca BrĂźckmann's avatar Rebecca BrĂźckmann @historleans.bsky.social
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I mean, if only there were an entire profession that could assess the veracity of statements, particular claims, and provide factual context. Alas!

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Natalia Mehlman Petrzela's avatar Natalia Mehlman Petrzela @nataliapetrzela.bsky.social
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Thank you so much! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, and grateful you’re spreading the word!

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Natalia Mehlman Petrzela's avatar Natalia Mehlman Petrzela @nataliapetrzela.bsky.social
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I am so glad to hear this! Recording my own audiobook was both a great privilege and a ton of work, and I’m so glad it worked well! Thank you so much and yes, please go recommend FIT NATION to everyone and anyone!

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Natalia Mehlman Petrzela's avatar Natalia Mehlman Petrzela @nataliapetrzela.bsky.social
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Thanks, Sherman! And yes, it is crazy. We launched before podcasts really had seasons, I think!

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