The Library of Congress has sifted its archives to find out when the weight-loss obsession began. It found that a century and a half ago people were already looking for a quick solution to girth. What
changed was industrialization, since before the second half of the 19th century being plump meant you were prosperous. That all changed with trolleys, cars, and machinery replacing muscle power. La
Parle Obesity Soap, whose makers claimed it could wash away fat, sold for a dollar a bar in 1903. Today two-thirds of Americans are overweight.
Read the whole story at The Detroit Free Press »
