The Naked Truth About Fitness By Barbara Ehrenreich Summary

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Peoples priorities differentiate based on many factors. The main factor that divides people’s priorities involves financial income. In Barbara Ehrenreich’s essay, “The Naked Truth about Fitness,” Barbara expresses her views regarding the redefinition of virtue as health. Ehrenreich states her views on the worldwide obsession of becoming fit and healthy. She talks about society’s view of health as a moral standard, and that cultures confuse the word health with healthism. Inequality between the social classes hinders those in poverty from fulfilling the standards of healthism. While the upper class enjoys a stable environment, the environment of the lower class oppresses them with conditions that discourage health. A family’s income affects where they reside. Ehrenreich states, “In low-income neighborhoods convenience stores and fast-food joints are often the only source of food” (Ehrenreich, 2015, p.339). Most people do not have access to luxury items since they cannot …show more content…

Living a healthy lifestyle costs money. Ehrenreich states, “We spend $5 billion a year on our health-club memberships, $2 billion a year on vitamins, nearly $1 billion on home-exercise equipment, and $6 billion on sneakers to wear on out on our treadmills and Stairmasters” (Ehrenreich, 2015, p.337). Because some people live paycheck to paycheck, they cannot afford an expensive, healthy lifestyle. Ehrenreich states “No amount 15 of straining against muscle machines could have saved Drexel Burnham operatives from unemployment; no aerobic exercises can reduce the price of a private-school education (Ehrenreich, 2015, p.340). Social order prevents the lower class from becoming healthy. People of the lower class have priorities relating too feeding and clothing their children; they do not have extra money to buy vitamin pills or a gym

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