Difference in reactions to telling people I pole dance

babyicebean started this discussion · 8/4/2009

I have started Pole Dancing and so far I have had these reactions - 'Isn't that a bit ....... you know, sleezy!' next door but one but then she can find sleeze in anything 'That sounds fun, where do you go to?' various friends 'Polish dancing?whats wrong with normal dancing' Mother in law - need I say more? and tonight I got round to telling my dad.His reaction? 'Do you enjoy it then?' 'Yes I do!' 'Do you want one for your birthday?' 'That would be fab, but do you know where to get one?' 'Oh yes, did you want an x-pole or another make?' 😲

20 replies

lengo83 · 8/4/2009
was that really your Dad´s reaction ? LOL - so cute!!! My Dad also only said: "If it makes you happy...". Thankfully I only got positive reactions. 😛
violet · 8/4/2009
😂 😂 😂 😂 Thats so funny that your dad knew a brand name!!! Some reactions I got... From my sister & mom: "So you want to be a stripper?" (they say that like its a bad thing 🙄) Now they LOVE my pole and love watching me practice, yay! From Dad: "Why dont you just run or go to the gym like a normal person?" lol! To which my reply was, actually a lot of gyms and fitness centers have Pole classes now and its so fun! Then my dad tried to do a spin on it and got dizzy 😂 From friends: "Whatever floats your boat." I left my pole up when my Grandma came to visit even though my mom insisted that I take it down. Grandma was so cool tho! She said "You know my Physical Therapist said this is one of the best ways to exercise! Just keep your clothes on..." 😂 Shes fab. I was lucky that no one really cared to much, not like it would have made a difference. I am PROUD to be a Pole Dancer! 🥂
JenLFG · 8/5/2009
i got a bad reaction from my boyfriend at first, something like "why do you want to be a stripper?" & the other comment he made was something to the effect of me acting like a whore. now that i have my pole he sees that it really is a great workout & is supportive 😛 the reaction from my parents was 100% supportive from the get go! my dad even helped me install it, & my mom asks about my progress daily 😀 now, nobody except for my boyfriend has been to my house since i got my pole & it is in the formal living room (turned pole room) which is right by my front door... with no way to close that room off,lol! i am sure when my boyfriends family comes over they are gonna have some things to say about it, his mom & i have "bumped heads" in the past. i almost want to invite them over to see what kind of smart ass comments they have about my new found fun (insert evil grin here) but i won't. i also wonder what my grandparents will say when they come into town at the end of the month, they are usually pretty understanding & supportive of things i choose to do so i don't think they will have anything bad to say about it.
babyicebean · 8/5/2009
Seriously my dad is that cool about it. The reason he knows the name of a pole is that he has bought them in the past for business, he had a narrowboat that was fitted out ike a limo with a pole on board, it was aimed at parties and he took advice from a pole dancer as to the best pole for the job.He probably still has the pole thinking about it.
SissyBuns · 8/5/2009
I have started Pole Dancing and so far I have had these reactions - 'Isn't that a bit ....... you know, sleezy!' next door but one but then she can find sleeze in anything 'That sounds fun, where do you go to?' various friends 'Polish dancing?whats wrong with normal dancing' Mother in law - need I say more? and tonight I got round to telling my dad.His reaction? 'Do you enjoy it then?' 'Yes I do!' 'Do you want one for your birthday?' 'That would be fab, but do you know where to get one?' 'Oh yes, did you want an x-pole or another make?' 😲 😂 😂 😂 😂 That's hilarious. Now that I read your response as to why he knew the brand name, not so hilarious, but it sure as hell had me LOL'ing when I first read it. That's too cute.
azzwoo · 8/5/2009
Ha ha thats so funny! Bless your dad! WHen I told mine it went something like this..... (raises eyebrows) 'you're gonna get a reputation!' Then as soon as he saw it he absolutely had to have a spin and now respects it for the great fitness it is. My boyfriend.... 'F*** yeah! My girlfriends getting a pole!' he's lost interest now hes realised that its all about the fitness and not about him lol. My step-dad..... 'I want a go' 😲 because he's seen men doing chinese pole (at least thats what he says!) Mum was totally cool with it and has come and had a go, and strangely the best reception i've had is from mums friends, who are all really interested and wanting a go too. Actually thinking about it (touchwood) thus far I haven't had a negative reaction from anybody 🥂
Castleoutsider · 8/7/2009
hehe =D yeah i brought home a pole when i was back home my parents i guess didnt really see anything wrong with it. moving to omaha i finally found a class and wanted a pole but we couldnt really afford one but my hubs was like hella excited and told everyone in his shop i was taking pole for fitness lol and wanted to know when open house was ^^ since ive recently have visited home and took my mom my sis and my cousin to a studio i found there and they LOVED it!! ^^ just wish the poles were more secure so they could have fun on them ^^!! i did have to explain to a drunk guy once that i wasnt a stripper lol i was like no i can just do all the tricks they can. and kept insisting that it was stripping lol i was like whatever dude lol
witeroze · 8/9/2009
LOL I love this thread!!! I’m so posting this in my blog too! Here are the reactions I got: My mom: (She’s the one who suggested I give poledancing a try ) My best friend of 11 years: .. YOU?!?!?!! Poledancing!!?!? My best friend of 8 years: *silence* .. What?? … your mom is WAY too cool… (I’m not sure she meant that in a good way, judging from her tone lol). My brother: Why do you always have to have your stupid weird ideas? Who gets a POLE? Me: Have you ever even seen poledancing? Him: Yeah, in MOVIES, with strippers shaking their ass on a table! Me: It can be for fitness too. Him: Then why don’t you just get a gym membership like normal people? Me: Because this is a FUN way to get fit. It’s like gymnastics! Him: Then why don’t you go learn GYMNASTICS? Omg and the best one was my dad. Brief background: I have a VERY strict dad (it’s in our culture). Like- even though I’m almost 21, I have to be home at midnight, and he wouldn’t let me go outside in short skirts, etc. And dating is out of the question until I graduate lol!! So I have to hide anything I do from him. Originally I thought I’d hide my pole every day, but then I got tired of installing it and I kept it up. So today he came home and was in a rush, and our building’s fire alarm was going off like crazy. He walked in my room looking for something, and when he saw the pole in the middle of my room, he FROZE, stopping in his tracks and looking absolutely TERRIFIED, as if he was looking at a 3-headed dog or something. I thought SHIT what was I thinking?? So the 1st thing I said is “Don’t worry it’s removable!” And he whispered “What’s this??” still looking bewildered. And I said “It’s for exercise..” And he just LAUGHED!!! He’s like “shit I got scared, I thought our building was falling down or something and they brought this here” and he just walked out the room on to his business. LOL!!!!! I’m soo relieved and I can’t stop laughing!! I think the impression that my dad has of me is soooo far from a girl who might wanna work in a club (not that I have anything against that) that it didn’t even cross his mind to associate it with that image!!! LOL of all the things I expected, this wasn’t it! 😂
Castleoutsider · 8/9/2009
^ ahhahaha! yea that was the last thing i was thinking he was gonna say ROFL! thats right.. the buildings caving in.. lets stick random pole in.. O_o .. rofl
PoleSkivvies · 8/10/2009
I just love that your dad knew about X-Poles! 🙂
pole-twista · 8/10/2009
i get mixed reactions. i explain the benefits ect and offer the person a chance to see for themselves before they decide how they feel about it, but some people just want to hear themselves talk and aren't open to things that aren't what they're used to. my bottom line is i am an adult and will do as io please. like it or not. i did that video to Human Nature by madonna bc of some negative reactions. basically saying you don't like it? tough s*it 4 u. 😎 😂
Lavenia Price · 1/5/2012
My mom & hubby joke that I'm going through an early mid life crisis, along with Hubby asking for a show and complimenting me on my arms lol. My sister, and nephews think I'm crazy, Some friends are on board and others ask why I dont just go to the gym or use my pull up bar... My response: it's boring! My cousin says never again will he date a woman that does. Of have a stripper pole in the living room, not the bedroom, but the living room. It Has to be in the living room! Lol Random visitors walk in, don't notice it for 3-5 seconds and then when they do they usually do a double take and say something out of shock which is funny to me My in laws(pastor) papa has jokes, "what is a pole doing in the living room?!?!? Never mind!!!! mama:whispering: imma have to come over alone one day when your hubby and son are gone so you can teach me some moves, papa: don't be havin my wife up on that pole!!! My neices went to a pole class with me and wanna have a pole party. The Jehovah witnesses came to my door this weekend and I cracked the door since a) it's winter and b) I was in pole gear could only see me and the pole.... As she looked it up and down she said " may I pray with you ". No offense to those of you that are Jehovah witnesses!!! My son (5) loves it! Got it a day before Christmas and he spends mOre time on it than me, and does all kinds of tricks he doesn't even realize he's doing... All while on spin mode( I'm sooo jealous!) then when I try to record myself so I can look back and. Critique myself... You see him zipping right in before I'm getting ready to attempt a spin and taking over!!!! Smh! You'd think it was for him lol This has all occurred over a period of 2 weeks by the way....
Piaketz · 1/5/2012
This thread is hilarious! Love it :) I've had a few funny reactions too. My parents took it very well. My dad totally understood what pole was about. But for a few months my mom thought my girlfriends and I were skipping and prancing with ribbons around a maypole and tying a huge bow at the bottom when we were done. I figured out that we weren't talking about the same thing when she asked me what new patterns we weaved around the pole. It was kind of funny watching her face of realization after my dad explain it to my mom. They bought me a pole for Christmas in 2009 though, and they have a framed 8x10" pic of me doing a gemini on their mantle right beside graduation pictures of my sister and I :) My former boss is a sweet, gray haired, middle aged lady who wears mom-jeans to work. Back when I was a clinical fellow at the med school, I showed a clip of myself doing a few spins on Youtube to another fellow in the computer room. My boss suddenly walked in with a residents and a med students that I was precepting. We both started panicking because first of all, we weren't supposed to be watching Youtube on faculty computers. Secondly, I wasn't sure how my boss and my students would react to seeing me in a sports bra and booty shorts working the pole! Boss: "Pia, is that you?!?" 😮 Me: "Dr. M, let me explain..." 😕 Boss: "You don't have to explain anything! We all can clearly see what's going on." 😲 Me: *totally mortified* Boss: "That is so awesome!!! I wish I could do that!" 😀 I almost died! I thought I was going to get fired or suspended or something!
JennyBacardi · 1/5/2012
Ive gotten pretty much only good reactions my sister and my mom: thats a cool workout my bf: at first he didnt like the idea but i brought him to the salon de lamour et seduction in montreal( everything to do with sex show) and maiko star was performing so i brought him to see the performance and i told him ''thats what i want to do''...he was shocked at what she was doing and he absolutely fell in love with pole fitness and encouraged me and even gave me massages after pole practice :D my friends: wow thats so cool, i want to see pictures, show me some moves... some people: oh, are you gonna be a stripper? why buy an expensive pole you can get some at sex shops you know...(some people can be so silly) some people ive met and have seen my pictures on facebook: i saw your pictures thats pretty awesome, are you also a stripper? Me: No i do it for fun and fitness them: oh thats so cool i didnt know you could do that My aunt was so proud and excited that I was doing it. So excited she decided to tell everyone in my family including me grandma.My aunt: hey Jenny started pole dancing My grandma: oh my god my grand-daughter is pole dancing in montreal( thinking i had become a stripper) my aunt then explained to her about pole fitness and she was very relieved. :P Pretty much all my friends and family are very supportive..although i do have guy friends that make comments about stripper pole but know its for fitness and just like to tease me.
HollySatine · 1/6/2012
I usually don't mind getting the mixed reactions because I'm at the point where the people who don't already know about it don't matter enough to me for me to care about what they think. Also, I think that in general, the people who are going to be openly judgmental about it aren't worth my time. However, at the same time I don't feel the need to spread any rumors about me being a stripper (not that there's anything wrong with those who choose that line of work, I just don't happen to be one of them), and I want to express how much more impressive and rewarding pole dancing actually is compared to the common misconception about what it actually looks like. But in trying to paint that picture, it has become tiresome to automatically tack on "but I don't strip," "it's actually more like ballet/gymnastics" and stuff like that. So I think I'm going to start saying "I practice aerial dance" instead of "I pole dance" since I will be starting lyra and silks classes anyway in a week or two. Although I do have to say, probably the funniest reaction I've gotten so far was from one of my close friends when I first told him I was starting to learn pole. When I said I was taking pole classes, he said, "Wait, there are classes for that kind of thing? Doesn't it just...happen?" (meaning I guess that he expected that girls just walked up to poles and started grinding or something). He was cool about it though. :)
HollySatine · 1/6/2012
Oh and another funny reaction I got recently was from my grandmother. She has started losing a bit of her memory and saying some pretty funny things. She's seen some of my videos and a lot of my pictures, which were all showcasing pretty advanced moves (in that I was upside down in most of them) so she knows how much athleticism it takes. And yet the last time I talked to her on the phone and had finished telling her about a show I'm going to be in, she said, "You know, you'll never have a problem finding a job with the talent you've got. Men love to watch stuff like that - you could be very entertaining and people would pay to see that." Somehow I don't think she was talking about Cirque du Soleil...
ShonaLancs · 1/6/2012
Love reading the mixed reactions! My Nan bought me my xpole - how cool is that? My mum was well impressed at what I could do in such a short space of time. My friends admire how difficult it is and are impressed I'm trying it. My fella knew it was excercise based (he's a Sport Science Lecturer) so knew it wasn't sexy learning! His mates however cheered him like he had won the lottery! His family didn't seem bothered but they don't ask me about my progress. My boss was great about it -his daughter does it, he ended up advising me on where to get a pole!! My other boss is a feminist and doesn't agree with it, despite my explanations that I don't do it for men, she couldn't see past that. Shame as she's a very intelligent woman. So, overall a positive response I think :-)
dancing in the gray · 1/6/2012
Overall, I had positive reactions. At work (i work with mostly men) they all make the obvious joke of becoming a stripper. But it's not offensive, it's all in good fun. One group of girlfriends is a little skeptical because they are very "women's rights". Another group of girlfriends thinks it's odd that I'm so comfortable with it. And there's my pole girlfriends, who clearly love it!! My family was also skeptical, not so much because of the stigma, but mainly the price. They've been supportive though. My sister for Christmas gave me money towards classes, and my brother gave me cash which is being used to purchase a pole. And my brother in law is helping me build a floor and mount my pole!!
PaulettePoles · 1/7/2012
Ive had mixed reactions. It does frustartae me people can be soo judgemental! I have either been supported or not! My dad was like- Now what have you gotten yourself into? then he hopped on the internet w me and has been surfing videos w me ever since. He lives in Mi and will send me links he finds.. My hubby- iffy- Says he supports me but doesnt want anyone to know! MOST friends are super cool Had 1 message sent to me on FB from a GOOD friend- I had "liked" a post about a charity event "pole for a purpose" and she sent me a message that my "pole dancng" comment was tagged on her ADULT daughters web site form college and she almost lost her internet priveledges becasue of me! WTF? I am very careful about what I post on FB- havent heard a word from her since- this was a very good friend. That hurt. In the end it only makes me want to pole moe and share more to increase awareness!
JadeMeadows · 1/7/2012
Ah yes, the classics. I constantly have to reassure people I'm not a stripper. Doctor "So, what kind of dance do you do?" "Well, Swing, blues, salsa, pole mainly." He looks at me and just sort of gives me that awkward stare... "No, no, I'm not a stripper." "Well...that's not exactly what I was thinking..." (I still have no idea what he was exactly thinking) Brother Buys me a pair of yoga pants for my birthday so that I don't have to exercise in my underwear. Lets just say I had no idea how few people realize that skin is actually needed to pole. A friend of mine told me a story about a girl we both knew who used to pole a bit. Apparently she fell and hurt herself while practicing. At the doctor's he asked her how she hurt herself. She said, "I did pole dancing." He says, "Okay, just let me go grab some WCB papers for you to fill out." 😀