Millions of American women are perpetual dieters; many are stricken by devastating, sometimes fatal, eating disorders. Though diet and therapy books abound, few authors have tackled the complex sociocultural background that has influenced women and their view of themselves. Social historian and analyst of popular culture Roberta Pollack Seid presents this perspective, tracing and assessing the origins of weight consciousness up to our current mania. She discovers a dangerous link, dating to the early part of this century, between medical prescriptives and fashion prerogatives. A complex network of influences--from politics and the rise of feminism to insurance company demographics and changes in the food industry--have reinforced and propagated the tie between "fitness" and "thinness." Seid exposes our cherished axioms--"Thinner is healthier" and "Thinner is more beautiful"--As prejudices, not truths. Only by understanding this national obsession can women begin to free themselves from the terrible war it has made them unleash on their own bodies.--From publisher description.