Natalia Mehlman Petrzela
MSNBC Columnist
Natalia Mehlman Petrzela is associate professor of history at The New School in New York City. She is the author of two books, most recently "Fit Nation: The Gains and Pains of America's Exercise Obsession," and is currently a Carnegie Fellow, working on a new book about education and political polarization.
Natalia Mehlman Petrzela is associate professor of history at The New School in New York City. She is the author of two books, most recently "Fit Nation: The Gains and Pains of America's Exercise Obsession," and is currently a Carnegie Fellow, working on a new book about education and political polarization.
Latest from Natalia Mehlman Petrzela
Democrats need to rethink their strategies about young voters
Trump joined TikTok after protesting the platform in a transparent bid to win young voters. Democrats need a new plan to win 18- to 29-year-olds, who currently prefer Democrats by a slimmer margin than we’ve seen since 2005.
RFK Jr. has a distinct appeal when it comes to young male voters
RFK Jr.’s focus on fitness and a specifically male outrage alongside the likes of Joe Rogan has garnered support from a generation of young men who don’t see themselves in Trump or Biden.
Don’t let the painful testimonies of Oct. 7 hostages be diminished or distorted
Hamas hostage videos and other evidence haven’t stopped dangerous online conspiracy theories, disinformation and denialism from forming around the tragedy.
How feminists have failed Israeli victims of sexual violence
Why have feminists not been more outspoken about the sexual violence visited upon Israeli women on Oct. 7?
The SAT is a better measure of wealth than aptitude. We should still keep it, though.
Wanting to abolish the use of the SAT and similar tests in the admissions process is both understandable and self-defeating.
Ramaswamy amplifies a strange, outdated myth to back a genuinely good idea
GOP presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy wants to add a physical fitness to the SAT, so students would be scored on fitness tasks like running a mile, pull-ups and sit-ups.
Alcohol is killing more women than ever – we need to talk about why
Alcohol consumption has become not only acceptable but has been aggressively marketed to women as a form of empowerment, from "Rose All Day" to "mommy juice."
Barbie’s legacy is important. It’s also incredibly complicated.
This tension in what Barbie really represents is what makes Greta Gerwig’s movie more than an extremely expensive infomercial.
Trump's 1776 education plan part of a decades-long, right-wing movement — but scarier
Whether in 1940, 1968 or 2020, this genre of conservative complaint is consistent. Because outrage over a curriculum is almost always a way to target less tangible social and cultural forces.
