Time to make slouching stylish: A retrospective analysis of postural myths

Picture this: you are about to enter your freshman year of college. Before you are enrolled, you must strip down to nothing so a faculty member can snap a nude photo of you to check your “posture.” Would you still want to enroll? 

College posture tests were commonplace in the early 20th century, beginning in 1913 and ending in the 1970s, according to Beth Linker, PhD, a historian and scientific sociologist at the University of Pennsylvania. Through ideas stemming from the American Posture League, posture tests were largely emphasized because of posture’s perceived associations with health and fitness. 

As it turns out, posture has a long history: Ancient Greek philosophers linked upright posture to divinity and intelligence; a prominent belief that influenced militia for thousands of years. But the societal obsession with posture—specifically poor posture—took a turn in 1859 when Darwin published “On the Origin of Species,” as noted in a New York Times interview with Dr. Linker. Darwin postulated that sitting upright preceded brain development. With the rise of eugenics, slouching became a health issue that solely affected individuals of a certain class: namely, “people who no longer engaged in physical labor but instead enjoyed the fruits of mechanized transportation, industrialization, and leisure.” Those with poor posture were routinely discriminated against, and correcting posture became part of “race betterment” projects. Posture was also linked to preventing the spread of tuberculosis, as seen in this Library of Congress image, even though antibiotics for the disease were becoming widespread at the same time.

“Ancient Greek philosophers linked upright posture to divinity and intelligence; a prominent belief that influenced militia for thousands of years.”

On top of eugenics, posture also formed roots in sexism. An article reviewing almost 60 years of those posture assessment photos noted how “[c]olleges and universities…recommended the surgical correction of scoliosis to maintain a woman’s marriageability and childbearing possibility.” This was especially true for white, upper-class women in the US, who were held to a higher societal expectation to give birth and were not engaged in intense, deteriorating labor. Even modern media broadcasting emphasizes the importance of posture for women: “The Princess Diaries” and “Anastasia” directly stated that ‘slumping’ does not make for a proper princess, further equating posture to class. As summarized by Dr. Linker, “[p]osture assessments became a quick and efficient way to size up another person’s character, intelligence, and health—all in one fairly simple exam.”

At this stage, you might think about the health benefits you have heard associated with good posture. Unfortunately, health media has solely advertised that posture is the result of poor health and has denied other comorbidities that might come with pain. The trick might be to think like a public health professional and consider a holistic perspective: what is the patient’s mental status? Slumped posture can be associated with depression, according to a study conducted at the University of Auckland. In fact, the Australian Journal of General Practice has a general guideline for approaching patients about pain, including asking about their psychological state, confidence, range of motion, and muscle function. Claiming that your posture is solely responsible for any one ailment invalidates those with chronic pain who already battle enough stigmatization. Furthermore, it places blame on individuals for their health problems when the reality may be the opposite. Perhaps Sai Kripa and Harmanpreet Kaur said it best: “Pain can lead to poor posture; however, not poor posture can lead to pain.”

It is time we reevaluate the validity of posture in our health and society. Not only is posture a representation of sexist and racist medical beliefs, but the intense emphasis on postural correction might alter perceptions of chronic pain and pain management, causing more harm than good. While posture does have its associations with health, it is often overhyped and is typically comorbid with other conditions. So the next time you are thinking about buying that corset or trying that ‘tech neck’ correction device… maybe see your health provider first.