pole dancing for fitness

Re-name it 'Pole gymnastics' or 'Pole-fitness'

I think the 'pole' may be a metaphor for something else in the minds of some.

I don't think it's anti-feminist if you do it for fitness, for you, with no male spectators and because you enjoy it.
I think the main problem is that they call it 'Pole Dancing' which is what strippers do. Re-name it 'Pole gymnastics' or 'Pole-fitness' (or something much better....) and there would be none of the 'seedy; connotations attached to it.

Burlesque is a a toughie. As a feminist, straight female, I really enjoy watching burlesque. The burlesque I like is usually fun, cheeky, and performed by an 'average' sized woman who makes me feel empowed about my body rather than ashamed.

It comes from Chinese pole performance, which involves climbing up and balancing on poles supported by another acrobat. Chinese pole acrobats are almost always fully clothed and are usually male.

I'm on the fence about pole fitness. Every amateur video I've seen involves all the stupid hair-flicking and bum-presenting you'd expect from a strip show. Why have these bits in if it's just for fitness? There are no exercise benefits to flicking your hair and shoving your bum outwards slowly. Likewise, the perspex heels - if you really want to grip the pole, you should be wearing sticky climbing shoes, not rigid plastic clogs that increase your injury risk exponentially.

I have seen one video which seemed to be all acrobatics - I can't remember her name, but the performer is a young black woman wearing a spangly catsuit.

As to burlesque - I've seen quite a lot of it at alt-cabaret nights, and it is mostly stripping. There are one or two performers who can actually do physical comedy or dance, or can sing, but they are in the minority.

I can answer for myself why I chose pole for exercise. I don't like running, I'm a poor swimmer, I have no sense of rhythm so anything dancey like zumba is out. I find yoga too slow. I quite liked kick boxing but taking my piercings in and out annoyed me. Before I get pulled up on the dancing aspect I just did climbs and spins. Definitely no gyrating or shaking of any intimate parts of my body.

burelsque on the other hand...not sure how great a work out you can get form someone popping the balloons off of you.

Actually, I believe reclaim is a fair word as pole dancing wasn't invented by the sex industry and was originally performed by men and then by women for women. I do question the motives of most women who do the classes now, but it does seem a fuckin hard work out.

Nope, sorry, just because you type body parts in capitals doesn't mean I concur and I'm certainly far too long in the tooth to qualify for 'young post-feminist ironics' too.

Without men, gonad shaking, money changing hand, a leering audience or any of that shit, it's just dancing imo. It's all about the intent. The link I posted way upthread was of an amazing, strong, athletic dancer who was in no way objectifying herself. Or showing her BREAST, VAGINA AND ARSE.

maybe the young post-feminist ironics here (ie those who don't have a clue) will call on pole dancing to be incorporated into the olympics next. Then the men as well as the women can be humiliated. What a great advance for equality that would be

Yes, Getallthethings, they do. It really isn't too difficult to grasp.

Pole dancing was dreamt up for the sex industry so MEN could leer over WOMEN and eye up their BREASTS, VAGINAS and ARSES. The WOMEN gyrate and shake their gonads in the mens' faces because the MEN PAY THEM TO.

Exactly which bit of this process is 'empowering' or 'feminist'?which bit of it doesn't objectify women and reduce them to the sum total of their BREASTS, VAGINAS AND ARSES?

Exactly what SamuraiCindy (Mon 19-Nov-12 12:20:02) said.

As donnie said, there is nothing for women to "reclaim" about pole dancing. Belly dancing has been and remains an art form practiced by women for women for centuries. The fact it's been appropriated in some quarters as sexualised entertainment objectifying the female body for men doesn't diminish this fact. Pole dancing, on the other hand, was created for that latter purpose only.

Got to hand it to those folks who are so intent on normalising women's objectification that they've managed to convince so many folks that it's "real" purpose is as a healthy, wholesome form of physical fitness. Uh huh, sure.

If you want a good work out that's fun, try zumba. If you are a concerned about working out in a mixed sex group, most centres run women only classes. Wear whatever feels comfortable, there's no competition in it, everyone's too focussed on following the dance steps to be seeing what everyone else is doing.

Soooooo...................Do women who pole dance as an exercise contribute to it's normalization in society ?

Ain't that so, donnie. Which is a bit strange on a FWR thread. Oh well, a sign of the times, I guess. < sigh >

'reclaim' ? - women never had it in the first place. 'Reclaiming' implies you once owned it and had it taken away. Don't kid yourselves. The lap dance is a product of the sex industry as a way for women to display their bodies to men. The women bump and grind while the men sit back, passive aggressive, ogling them.

Christ it's like Feminism never happened at all round here sometimes.

Some people upthread seemed to think so, stacey

AF it doesn't ^require* you to wear heels though.

FWIW I have done it and loved it. I wore a vest and shorts because you do need skin contact. I have never, ever done it for a man. I used to have a pole in my dining room (lived alone) and would practice when I couldn't get to the gym, or just fancied a different work out. I have never, ever ached as much after exercise as I did when I began pole dancing.

I can't run due to bad knees, and found that pole dancing added to my overall exercise regime (swimming, rowing, cross trainer, cycling, pilates) very well. I used to do it as an alternative to weights in the gym. I did it with friends who enjoyed it too. One of our teachers was male and was brilliant. Another was an ex-professional ballet dancer (she's totally amazing, but her body could no longer take the strain ballet put on her).

In terms of lasting damage, there is no requirement to wear heels at all, and lots of exercise can be described as being bad for you (running for example, even breast stroke can be criticised for the strain on your neck) but in the long-term the benefits generally outweigh the negatives.

I can't think of any other "fitness" activity that requires the wearing of high heels

Except for my fab idea of lapdancing classes for the masses

Lapdancing in battered ole smelly trainers, like pole dancing, doesn't have quite the same image

TBH I think doing it in heels does somewhat take away from my 'it's fine for fitness' argument.

Oh yes the heels. I'd assumed that without the heels it would be like any other sort of gymnastic (tho I suppose same may apply). Interesting, thanks

really SGM??

in what way?

Does it really sym? In what way?