Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

373 replies

nemoni · 11/03/2013 13:14

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...

OP posts:
ApocalypseThen · 12/03/2013 22:50

There's a part of me (me) that considers this a pretty common kind of activity. Would any really elegant woman pole dance? I can't imagine it. It's a bit waggish/page 3-ish, really.

Not that that makes any real difference, but I can't see it as smart, clever, sophisticated, interesting or becoming. It's the exercise equivelent of Jane Norman clothes.

BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack · 12/03/2013 22:56

only waggish if the only pole dancing you have seen was on footballers wives Wink

a lot of polers are ex ballet dancers and gymnasts so yes, some can be very elegant.

PolePerfection · 13/03/2013 09:23

Hi, I posted the add that started this thread.
Firstly I want to apologize for any offense caused by the post, as that was obviously not my company?s? intention. I also just wanted to thank all the people coming to the defense of the pole fitness industry; it?s a very protective industry as we do get judged wrongly by a few, its nice to see such support and also to see some posters on here thinking outside the box and not just assuming that we teach children to gyrate and strip.
I obviously deserve the chance to explain/defend our kids pole parties.
Firstly I am a mum of a 9 year old boy and secondly I teach pole fitness. Pole fitness is basically vertical gymnastics, like monkey bars at the park but the other way around and nothing more. Our adult classes can incorporate more dance but our children?s parties are purely fun and a chance to hang off and swing around a vertical monkey bar.
Kids love to hang off things, spin round things and climb things, kitchen cupboard doors, the banisters, my leg! So our 8+ pole parties are for boys and girls and are provided in a safe environment, (parents are present if they want to be) and it?s a supervised chance to climb, swing and spin. There is obviously nothing sexual about these parties.
It?s a healthy and happy party environment with some play equipment that happens to be a vertical pole.
If you have any further questions please do get in touch, I would be happy to address them directly, as this thread seems to have got slightly out of hand.

cuillereasoupe · 13/03/2013 09:41

Wow you're brave! Can you clear up whether you offer parties from age 8 or age 12? And would you agree that the logo on your website is pretty sexualised?

BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack · 13/03/2013 09:45

Hi Pole - well, good on you for coming onto this thread.

Pole threads always get out of hand, the opinions are so wildly different from person to person on here and it is always an emotive subject.

I would say though that for kids parties drop the make up and the glamour.........puts pole back to where we really don't want to be.

Personally, I love pole fitness...being doing it for 4 years now and it just gets better and better :)

PolePerfection · 13/03/2013 09:46

I am doing Parties from the age of 12.
I will be revamping my website as It will just have pictures of the studio and students, Just it isn't fully ready to show that yet.
My picture wasn't meant to come across sexual in anyway. So once again I apologize if it offended anyone. I am wearing small clothes as a lot of the moves need a lot of skin contact..
However This would not be needed when hosting a child's party.

FreudiansSlipper · 13/03/2013 09:46

Oh please

What has a manicure, make up and a photo shoot session got to do with fitness and do boys want these too

PolePerfection · 13/03/2013 09:52

Its a whole birthday package just a nice party, children have pamper parties all the time these days. Just so happens that it is available on location. Boys can have a manicure too!
I am misunderstood which is really annoying people the pamper part of the package or the dance?

catgirl1976 · 13/03/2013 09:55

It's both.

The pole is the more objectionable IMO, but both are not good and combined, well........you can see the majority opinion on this thread is very unfavourable

BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack · 13/03/2013 09:57

Pole - the actual presence of the pole annoys people....apparently it is a phallic symbol - something I had never ever thought of till I came on MN!!

However, despite being a pole fanatic if I had a DD personally I woudn't want her going to a pole party where they would have the pole shoot, make up and glamour aspect as for me, that is not what pole is all about. As an adult, I have had a few pole shoot done and I love my pictures but there feels something wrong a young girl having it done......at least I am fully aware of the facts etc etc. I would however, let her attend a pole party if it was structured say like a gym class, that sort of thing.

Seriously, you will just get loads of negative comments on here.

FreudiansSlipper · 13/03/2013 10:02

and adverrtising children's party packages along with your boudior package you
I thought they were two seperate things pole fitness and using the pole as a sexual tool

PolePerfection · 13/03/2013 10:06

Ok
Well I am listening to your opinions and trust me they do count! I never meant to offend anybody.

I never thought that parents would be so upset by this (being one myself)
But I understand from comments that maybe the make up etc is a bit too much. I honestly just didn't think anything bad of that at all..
So Because of this I will now be removing the beauty part from the kids section.
I hope that you accept my apologizes if I offended anyone.
Thank you for all your feedback.

MrsDeVere · 13/03/2013 10:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

woobly · 13/03/2013 10:34

Another one who thinks this is pretty horrible... taking something that comes directly from the sex/porn industry and applying it to children as young as 8 is wrong, wrong, wrong. I think it's obvious you haven't really thought this through. Have you thought about dads coming to pick up early for a bit of a watch?
As a mother of girls this creeping pornification of society really worries me.

Having pole parties for kids might seem like innocent fun to you, but I would never allow my girls to do it, and I would raise an eyebrow at any parent who did.
Your ad shows a woman in underwear/bikini with her legs splayed in a stage setting. The stage implies an audience, a theatre setting - hardly a gym. Just picture that scene with an 8 year old girl. Or perhaps re-do the picture with your 9 yr old boy doing that pose in skimpy pants? In fact I think if you tried to publish a photograph of the kids doing it you might be on dodgy ground legally?
It's insidious and vile! Some free market research for you...

seeker · 13/03/2013 11:00

You say your parties are 12+ not 8 +.

What do the 12 year olds do?

hamdangle · 13/03/2013 11:04

A question for anyone who thinks this is fine:

  1. If there were no makeovers/make up/photoshops involved and it was just a fun non sexual exercise would you let your 12 year old DD go to this party?
  1. If your DD went to this party (and again no make over just the 'exercise') would you be happy with dads of the other girls staying to watch or arriving early for pick up and watching?

If not, why?

cuillereasoupe · 13/03/2013 11:09

Hi PolePerfection, just to be clear, it's not your photo on the site I have a problem with, as I can see that being about fitness/gymnastics, it's the logo (two women with ponytails back to back) that I find very very sexualised in nature.

quoteunquote · 13/03/2013 11:12

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by Mumsnet for breaking our Talk Guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.

SCOTCHandWRY · 13/03/2013 11:27

Jesus! What is wrong with some people, have they no boundaries or common sense?

Adolescents (and younger), kids shouldn't be encouraged to do activities like this - its sexualisation of minors, I wouldn't want any of my kids to think this sort of thing was ok (and they are all boys!).

BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack · 13/03/2013 11:31

OMG - read the OP's latest message. She has said she will remove the make up part so you can wind your necks in and get off your high horses.

OP, good on you!!

BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack · 13/03/2013 11:31

Not OP sorry, Pole Perfection

FreudiansSlipper · 13/03/2013 11:35

still advertising her childrens parties along with the boudoir package

and yet it is all about pole fitness Grin of course it is

come on betty she is hardly promoting just pole fitness is she

BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack · 13/03/2013 11:39

She has just said she will remove that part of the package.

Come on....at least she had the balls to come here, admit she has made a boob (excuse the pun:) ) and said she will change it.

seeker · 13/03/2013 11:53

So she's removing the makeover element.

I'd still like to know what 12 year olds are going to do at a pole dancing fitness party.

FreudiansSlipper · 13/03/2013 11:55

she said she is dropping the make up not dropping the classes

her packages are not about just pole fitness are they

keep sexual stuff away from children simple