Some who had the time and money were. Wasn't President McKinley shot in 1901 in part because his morbid obesity (at the autopsy the heart walls were found markedly thinned, but the second bullet never was because of so much fat) symbolized the contrast in lifestyles between the monied “WASP” and the working man? read more
People didn’t have money to be fat. If you look at pictures of the time, fat people were people with money and leisure time. Most people worked physically hard and didn’t have time for leisure. read more
People are less physically active than they were before Food is less expensive proportionate to income levels than in the past so people can and are more likely to treat themselves with a treat. When I grew up in the 70's and early 80's none of us had ever heard of whole wheat pasta or brown rice. read more