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Feminism and the Pole
I’d like to start a thread about the art of pole and how it relates to feminism.
I feel like pole dancing is empowering in many ways- strength and confidence to name a couple.
Some people think of pole dancing and it’s ties to the sex industry as exploitative to women. I’ve also heard the argument that anything that objectifies women contributes to negative stereotypes.
I am involved in both pole dancing and the sex industry, and I am not exploited. I don’t believe that I’m contributing to negative stereotypes either, because I feel like I represent grace, independence, and strength. -
8 Replies
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Pole dancing doesn’t objectify women… it showcases how strong, confident, agile and fit they can be! It is performance and athletisism… and yes, it is ok for women to be sexy and strong at the same time too! I have alot of respect for all the male and female athletes who engage in pole dancing as a sport!
(This from a straight male pole dancer’s point of view)
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I actually believe that it isn’t the person who pole dances or is in the sex industry that is exploited…it’s the consumer! I mean seriously what other industries can you manipulate people into paying you so easily….I don’t think it’s a bad thing…it’s great business. But I also think that there are responsible and irresponsible ways to conduct it.
I personally love knowning that if there is something I want to do or buy all I have to do is work my dance magic on the hubbs! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif Is that wrong? lol
I think it takes a lot of confidence and strength to get on a stage (or set) and sell what you got…
I hate the talk about it being demeaning and such….and the same goes for the talk about women who are stay-at-home moms.. Isn’t feminism about women having the choice to do what they want? If I want to dance on stage or stay at home with my kids…who cares! Sorry if this seems random but I get my "panties in a knot" over this topic
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Oh this is a good one….I don’t have the mental energy to right a big long response but I totally feel that if its the woman’s choice… then it surely doesn’t exploit them!!!
Isn’t feminism about women having the choice to do what they want? If I want to dance on stage or stay at home with my kids…who cares! Sorry if this seems random but I get my "panties in a knot" over this topicI agree 100% with this Roxy. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_thumleft.gif
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So.
I understand restrictive feminism- where one woman tells another woman that what she’s doing is degrading, that it hurts the progression of feminism, that it gives women a bad image..As a woman, I think it’s ridiculous. I’m an individual, I can do what I want, and if the feminist agenda is so easily bruised by my sexuality.. well, it can take a hike. My desires come first.
…As a black person, do I want to bloody and beat Kanye West for his various paranoid and ridiculous activities? Why? They reinforce negative stereotypes! Yeeeah. BLOODY AND BEAT. Do I immediately feel shame because as a strong individual I understand that Kanye West is free to do whatever the hell he likes because he too is an individual and should not be stunted because of my racial perception agenda?
So. I understand that our activities- our pole dancing, our sexy, does probably bother quite a few women, and for good reason. If I were a woman who was trying hard to define myself WITHOUT my sexuality being a great portion of me….. well, I would be really annoyed by women who seemed to revel in that sexuality that I was trying so hard to steer from. Maybe he would say, "That’s a real woman", and I would not be a woman in his estimation.
As for me. I do what I want! If someone is so foolish as to package me as only one thing, they’re nuts. It reflects upon them rather than upon me. I am not just sex. Or not just an intelligent woman. I’m not just a housewife. I’m not only anything! ..Just like Kanye West isn’t just an idiot out to bruise racial relations. *keeps on reminding herself of that*
Anyways. I babble! I’m done! SWEAR.
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Hmm. I am definitely a feminist. And…as much as I hate to admit it (because I LOVE pole dancing and have so much respect for pole dancers and for strippers) there are tiny elements about it that sometimes makes me uneasy. Just because….
I sometimes wonder why our definition of sexy…is what MEN think is sexy. Why do we want to act like women who are stimulating arousal for men, as opposed to being what we find naturally sexual and ‘womanly’? I put womanly in quotation marks because I don’t actually think our culture really knows what being a woman is. I think being a woman is generally defined in mens terms…it seems we are either irrational/emotional/butch/non sexual/angry feminists, or we are sexy/glamourgirl/big boobed/sex objects. I know that obviously this is because we live in a consumerist society and this is what we are reduced to, this is how the media portrays us etc etc. I’m sure men are put in this kind of position as well. But regardless I really hate it and I think because these kind of images are everywhere, even if you think you don’t adhere to the imagery…it can still affect you and shape your ideas and I think it’s dangerous.
I may not be making much sense here, but it is something I’ve been thinking about a lot, I just don’t quite know how to vocalise it coherently yet.
I don’t know, sometimes I get scared there MAY be a danger of women jumping on board the "reclaim the stripper" stuff because maybe while we think it will be empowering…it might be that we are simply re-affirming the imagery that to be sexy we must ‘pretend’ to be this mans ideal of a sexy/glamourgirl/sex object…as opposed to being sexy for the way we really are.
BUT I also think if we were ever going to celebrate what what a women really is, there is no better way than celebrating it through the fitness/endurance/agility/beauty/hotness/FUN/STRENGTH that pole dancing offers. And I also really love and find exciting the sexy, sultry side to pole dancing as well. And I don’t even dance for my bf…so ….it is purely for me and I do find it brilliant fun. Am I finding it fun because society has conditioned me to think this is fun? Maybe? Who knows? https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_lol.gif
You only need to take one look at this forum though and see so many happy, empowered women, so I suppose the facts don’t lie. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif
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Oh this is a good one….I don’t have the mental energy to right a big long response but I totally feel that if its the woman’s choice… then it surely doesn’t exploit them!!!
Isn’t feminism about women having the choice to do what they want? If I want to dance on stage or stay at home with my kids…who cares! Sorry if this seems random but I get my "panties in a knot" over this topicI agree 100% with this Roxy. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_thumleft.gif
Definetly! I agree 100% also! I would like to clarify as well that what I am talking about in my massive rant (if any of you actually bother to read it…I just realised how long it is!) is literally me pondering over how I feel about MYSELF dancing in regards to how I feel about feminism not ANYONE else. Because feminism IS about having the choice. And I think where feminism goes wrong is when women (and men) start demanding each other act in some sort of ‘perfect way’. Everyone should have the fundamental right to make their own choices, man or women.
Ah I’m gonna shut up because my head is buzzing.
Sorry for subjecting you all to my ridicuous thoughts, I will end with:
I love women and men I think we’re all great. I love poling, I think its awesome. I think stripper shoes are flipping BEAUTIFUL. Tralalala. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_pirat.gif
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I did read your long rant and felt the need to reply so at least you know there’s someone out there listening! I think you’ve hit one of the nails on the head when it comes to pole dancing and my beliefs! I truly love to dance, but I agree that at times, elements make me slightly uneasy, and even more so, people’s perceptions make me slightly uneasy.
I don’t think pole dancing is inherently feminist or anti-feminist. You can be a feminist and pole dance. You can be a misogynist and pole dance. Nobody takes away your feminist card just because you pole dance/lap dance/strip for money. I think pole dancing (or any type of dancing) builds your confidence, gives a self esteem boost and allows you to explore how you feel about your body and the things you can do with it. I think that increased confidence then leads on to other aspects of your life and can drive you to achieve more traditional feminist pursuits such as career success, equality and overall life satisfaction. I don’t believe that purely learning how to sexually objectify yourself is empowering, and it does nothing to promote respect for yourself and other women. Getting fit however, learning to love your body, and interacting through communities such as these is empowering. I’d say for the majority of us on this community, pole dancing is empowering because we have the choice to do it. For those women who don’t have that choice and can’t make money any other way except by pole dancing, lap dancing, prostitution or similar types of exploitation, I don’t believe pole dancing is synonymous with feminist values. As Roxy said, it all comes down to choices….
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Very succinctly and nicely put…hehe and thanks for replying, always nice to know someone has read it…though my rants are sometimes very rambley…I don’t really expect anyone to manage to get to the end of them. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_biggrin.gif
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