pole dancing for fitness

[hairyqueenofscots]

in my work i work with very highly qualified academics, i am support staff. they have all recently started these classes and burlesque. I have recently got very interested in the feminism on MN. I am saddened these woman are doing this ,they have everything going for them! Am i wrong? be gentle i am a learner :)

And there is a whole feminist argument To be had as to why certain activities and sports are only seen worthy to be women's sports.

"No they don't. Few token men. And those men that do it seem to be higher in status. They even get to to change the name to acrobatics"

no, I don't think they "changed" the name, I don't think it was ever called pole dancing in china.

so men in china can do it and it's a sport, but women in the UK can't?, they're objectifying themselves and their sex? is that basically it?

Yep. That is basically it. That is the Patriarchy for you. It's a fucker.

Believe what you want Buddy. I am not arrogant enough to think I can change your mind.

X-post with SGM there.

< sidles back in, thinking nobody noticed she flounced >

It's a matter of opinion of course, but "choice" feminism refers to the individual alone doing what suits them with no thought to the wider impact on society

A purely selfish viewpoint, if you like. An "I'm all right Jack, and fuck all the women that get harmed who don't have my privelige of choice". Like many argue that eg. middle class University students should have the "choice" to do escort work to fund their studies, conveniently forgetting the other end of the sex industry where many women don't have the "choice" not to be trafficked, coerced, and abused by their pimps.

This fab blogger touches on it here

I am not at all open to ideas of lap dancing or pole dancing or burlesque titilation... BUT I have a martial arts background and am in awe of the pole gymnastics moves.

I have seen ariel gymnasts doing similar moves on big swathes of fabric hanging from the roofs of big halls - I don't know what you call that but they were fully dressed and in bare feet and they did all the spinning and holding themselves out horizontally... it was amazing... what is that called.

"what is that called." arial silks
taught alongside pole at some classes

you need layers for silks and bare skin to grip poles

thanks

ariel silks - it was beautiful and amazing... and not at all sexual.

As an aside, I didn't think the point of the FWR section was for everyone to agree. The flouncing and 'why is this being discussed here' would suggest I got that wrong then?

very few people who do silks just do silks, they also do hoop and pole etc

entry #10 on google chrome, sgm

Btw I am not saying the moves aren't awesome, amazing or whatever, but Chinese men doing it does not negate the origins, especially in the western world.

But SGM put it better than me with her middle class = exercise working clas = stripper an taking that one step further men = acrobat, women = dancer.

Wilson, that was a personal little tantrum of mine. Not everybody gets as frustrated as I do. I go mainline some coffee, and come back as good as new

Although someone saying they wished they had made more of a sex object of themselves should provoke a strong reaction in a Feminism topic, surely ?

Can I ask a serious question without getting shot down as I am genuinely interested please?

I go to a controlled pole fitness session so similar to say going to a gym class.How does that have an impact on the sex industry and how is it an "I'm all right Jack" viewpoint. I don't compete, don't do it for titillation but just for self for self gratification, confidence and fitness purposes.

I'll give you that one AF. And interested to hear the 'choice feminism' arguement too.

I did say it was subject to personal opinion, Betty. Many would disagree.

But I believe that normalising something like pole dancing is harmful to women, and to our children growing up in an increasingly sexualised society.

I see it as similar to thongs for little girls, Nuts magazine on kiddies eye-level shelves, the glamourisation of 50 Shades and the fact you can buy it in Asda next to the other misery lit cookery books, the marketing of "Secret Diary of a Call Girl" as an exciting career choice

it's insidious, and by that very premise, dangerous because the slow drip-drip means people don't realise what is happening

Actually yes it is but if you can't even bothered to explain it to me then you can't really have a go about it really can you.

I don't understand the comparison, money from cocaine goes to terrible people who do terrible things, money paid to a pole class goes to the gym and the instructor, not to strip joints

To be fair AF I get cross when people call what I do pole dancing and I hate it when people girate, do sexy sexy and wear heels etc as I feel it just takes it back to the seedy aspect the pole comminity is trying desperately to get away from.

It will never fully be accepted by society though,I do realise this.

Betty, I don't think the last two posts constitute "can't be bothered to explain"

unless there is some cross posting going on