Beach Bodies: A History of the American Physique

Aspirations to a more perfect body have a long history in America. In the 19th century, the science of “nasology” set out to describe a person’s character – based on the shape of his or her nose. And in the past 200 years, the pendulum of what makes the perfect weight has  swung from one extreme to the other. On this episode, the American History Guys at BackStory Radio take a look at what Americans have seen when they’ve looked in the mirror, and explore some of the lengths to which people have gone to achieve their ideal physiques.