Although the primary function of a culture is to help a society deal with its problems and thus ensure survival, cultural
success does not necessarily yield biological success. The paper shows that one of the fundamental principles in anthropology is the holistic
perspective. An ethnographer uses this viewpoint to understand a cultural system through all of its "cultural
institutions- social, political, economic, etc." The paper shows that by analyzing various cultural factors in America, one can discern that the growing prevalence of obesity among Americans is due largely to their culture. In other words, we live in a society that discourages obesity, yet all of our cultural institutions support it. By comparing American culture to that of other countries the world over and by using the holistic perspective, the paper shows that the rise of obesity in America over the past twenty years is due to the media, lifestyle and productive economy in the U.S. today.