Pole dancing parties for eight year olds - starting a bit young?

[nemoni]

So, whilst trawling the internet for a suitable party venue for one of my children I was fairly surprised to see pole dancing parties listed under 'children's party venues in Manchester' on the local netmums page www.netmums.com/manchester/local/view/parties/venues/pole-dance-and-beauty-party

So, 'Caters for adults and children's parties from 8+' - pole dancing parties for eight year olds? Am I missing something??!! Or, am I being unreasonable in my assertions that this is a bit inappropriate and perhaps takes girl's make-over parties to a whole new level? Surprised to see it advertised as a children's party venue, even more surprised to it it on said website.

Over to you fellow mumsnetters...

excuse my terrible spelling and grammar - typing in a rush without spell check is never a good thing!

Well I am SHOCKED at how nasty, inappropriate, rude, ill mannered and bigoted you lot are!

How appropriate is a kids party where children run around trying to shoot each other so the 'dead' ones loose? How appropriate is it to have parties where you jam your children?s bodies full of salt/sugar, processed foods and drinks which we all KNOW are harmful!? How appropriate is it to have princess parties and slap stupid high heels and make up all over your kids!? How inappropriate is the sexualisation of our children by the current role models? Beyonce? That one with the huge ass? That one that wears meat and not much else? Madonna for * sake. The Bratz Dolls! I bet even Polly Pocket has a pair of 7? pleasers!

How inappropriate is it for any mother to judge something and be so vitriolic about it and any women who may or may not be associated with it without knowing more?

Consider yourselves 'nurturing'? I think far from it, this is just a thread spewing hatred against other women for the sake of it, judgemental and condemning of something most of you blatantly know nothing about. (Nicely defended by the ones who aren?t so bigoted may I add).

Go book a pole party for you and your kids, BOTH sexes will love it, burn some calories and have good fun, then make a constructive comment, don?t just slag off women and call them strippers!
betty Westie big hugs to fellow polers =D

So you understand exactly what this school is teaching, please do, spare a second in your busy lives, and check this out by Jenynne Butterfly: and then this one by Beyonce?.
Be HONEST, what would you rather come home to find your kid copying?

Clothes side It's ok for your children to wear a bikini in the beach and in the swimming pole it's ok to wear tight leotards for gymnastics but its not ok for a child to wear t shirt and shorts for a pole and there is the strippers side which has nothing to do with the fitness side if you are so naive to connect the to too then it's you that has a problem i doubt any of you even knows what strength it takes to do a class like this or even what goes on in a class so don't judge unless you know what you are talking about !!!!

How inappropriate is it for any mother to judge something and be so vitriolic about it and any women who may or may not be associated with it without knowing more?

Anybody with half a brain is going to have a problem with 8 year olds pole dancing.

In fact, anybody with half a brain is going to have a problem with grown women pole dancing for fun or "exercise".

Ugh. Just ugh.

Women who do pole 'dancing' for 'fitness' always seem to end up in Take a Break getting £150 for stories about how all the neighbours in their street got knocked up by their husbands.

Eaves - don't be so insulting. Just because people have different opinions to you doesn't mean they are stupid. If someone has to resort to insults to get their point across then personally I think they are the one with half a brain. I had a good debate on the feminism board a while ago about pole fitness and no one threw insults about then!!

Wallison - nope, don't know anyone who has appeared in Take A Break - maybe us polers set our sights higher and want to appear in Heat!!!! What a ridiculous thing to say....

Yeah, cos pole dancing is just exercise innit? Nothing whatsoever to do with the sex industry, oh no no no.

Seriously, hell would have to have frozen over before I'd let any of my DCs go to a fucking pole dance party.

wallison did you just make that up?

I'm sorry but feel I have to comment. As a mother of a 7 year old girl I find it crazy that people impose there own in security's in there children society says all pole dancers are strippers it also says any woman over a size 16 is fat and ugly so that must be true. I have a very dear friend who I have known for many years she teaches pole fitness and is such a strong lady who keeps her clothes on. I can honestly say if my daughter wanted to do this as long as she had done her research and knew what she was doing I would say why not I want her to grow up being proud of who she is and to feel like she can do anything and not let narrow minded people hold her back. P.s have you watched a pop video recently?

I can't believe the hysteria on this thread.

How many of you wear high heels? You know that strippers wear high heels to make their legs look sexier don't you?

Maybe you should stop wearing them, you wouldn't want to look like a stripper now would you?

ABH I think you need to go and have a lie down

This thread is going to go kerr-razzeee now

Words fail me...

Why is not liking the idea of children being taught pole dancing at a party a sign of insecurity on the part of the parent? I'm intrigued!

I agree with you re the sexualisation of pop videos (I presume that's what you meant?), but none of my children would be allowed to attend a "come and learn to dance like Rihanna" party at age 8 either. The 2 are not mutually exclusive, you know.

Well they may argue it's about fitness and empowering but go take a look at the profile / business card they're using on their Facebook page. Erm I think the phrase that comes to mind is 't*ts out'.

I can honestly say if my daughter wanted to do this as long as she had done her research and knew what she was doing "

I'm just going to give up

8yo's are known for the "research credentials" dontcha know

nothing in that inane statement about being a "parent" is there ?

their

No, I don't wear high heels. No, I don't wear make up. I dress in comfortable clothes so I can enjoy whatever I am doing. As long as I am clean, I don't really care what I look like. It is irrelevant to me as a person.

I would campaign against children being exposed to pole dancing if it was in my area. I fear for my 6 month old DD. I really do. It will be so hard to counteract this image of women in our society.

Am and :o at the way this thread has developed.

Frankly I wouldn't let my eight year old put "pole dancer" into google - do that's the research over with already...

The idea that you would encourage your child to research pole dancing is grim. Just please, if you are going to take this unique approach to parenting, make sure you're sitting beside them at the PC.

Has NonplussedNet got off the ground yet?

Watched a film recently (crazy, stupid love) where one of the characters (male) says 'the war between the sexes is over. We won the second women started taking pole dancing classes for exercise'. I can kind of see his point...

Well I'm sorry bettyswollocks, but I feel very strongly about this. I don't believe that any intelligent woman with an ounce of self respect would engage in "pole fitness", not if they'd really stopped to think about what it represents.

I think anybody who does it is letting us all down. It's based on pole dancing ffs - something invented within the exploitative sex industry with the sole purpose of objectifying woman. It's not empowering. It's degrading & just sending us all backwards in our fight for equality.