Pounds Off for Jesus: Oral Roberts University and the Fat Body, 1976 to 1978

This article examines the Pounds Off Program (POPS) at Oral Roberts University from 1976 to 1978. POPS was a mandatory weight-loss regime for fat students who were required to lose a certain amount of weight in order to maintain their status at the university. The program generated national controversy in 1977 when some fat students allied with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to sue the university for discrimination. The article argues that the POPS reflected many U.S. citizens' views that there was a direct relationship between body weight and piety. The cooperation between the fat students and the ACLU also demonstrated the fluidity of U.S. society on the eve of the culture wars.