I have a question for everyone.....
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I will admit that sometimes I have an aversion towards the industry... and I think a lot of that stems from how many people have either automatically assumed that I was a stripper because I pole dance, or asked me if I was going to become one. This comes up almost EVERY time I mention that I'm a pole dancer. It is very very old. I have to explain to them the main difference (obviously amount of clothing), and despite opposition, I've had several people act like they have decided that I am now tainted somehow. I find out pretty easily who I would never want to hang out with this way though, lol. However, I don't dislike strippers! I promise! If anything... I worry about them a little. Worry in a healthy way, in a "fellow woman" type of a way, because I just don't know if they are a professional exotic dancer with her confidence, emotions, and self-esteem in check, or if they're the stripper who is causing severe emotional damage to herself, via her inner demons playing mind tricks with her. There's also the chance of physical damage through drugs and prostitution. So I only worry a bit, but I don't judge. I hope that makes sense! 😕 Oh and I've also tried poling for my boyfriend topless.... and I cannot do it without pinching the sides of my boobies! How DO they do that?!?! My poor boobies had little pinch marks all over them when I was done with that little show! Geez, that must take some serious practice! 🫡
I am actually a former dancer turned instructor and it's always interesting to me people's reaction when they know that. For the most part it's always excited my students to hear it, they feel like their learning from someone who really knows their stuff. However, when I taught Latin, Belly Dance and Hip Hop before I ever started teaching pole I always kept it quite because I was working in a "normal" studio and it's not considering a legit form of dance....or it wasn't at the time. My only problem now is people assume I don't have a background other than having been a former stripper when in realty I've been a dancer since I could walk! We're in a weird place in this community because it's still growing and this country is so darned prude ugh!!! I think as time goes on people will assume less that when you say your a pole dancer that means your a stripper. I have no problem with stripping and have taught dancers, dancing nude or semi nude can be so empowering and I always felt so in touch with my body when I was on stage. What I have a problem with and always have is everything else that goes along with it; i.e. men thinking your an object they can treat however they can, the drug abuse you see girls doing and even prostitution (happens in big clubs too believe me). For me that's why I stopped....I couldn't take watching that crap go on around me anymore. Take that out of it and there's not a darn thing wrong with a woman dancing with minimal to no clothing on and owning her body and sexuality. The real problem is people are still very threatened by that which is so sad.
i would never think less of an exotic dancer / stripper/ whatever! i mean we are emulating what they do! atleat a whole lot of us do! we grind our hips, we shake and bounce our bootys, we run our hands over our bodies, wear 6 inch heels or other "exotic wear"... nope, just bc it isn't my job choice, i would never think less of a woman no matter what her career choice. 😎
There are quite a number of strippers or "exotic dancers" on Studio Veena and most of the Pole Dance sites. I don't really think you will find very many harsh judgments against exotic dancers once you enter the pole dance community. I think that as a group, polers are already kind of pre-selected to be fairly open minded and comfortable with issues of sexuality. That being said, I sort of got my come-uppance a few months ago when a poler I knew--who had never stripped--decided to dance, but NOT strip, in a regular bar or club. I have to admit I was surprised at my own reaction to her decision to experiment with even dancing in a bar venue. This was despite the fact that I had visited strip clubs (even with another SV member!). LOL, so I got to experience my own hypocrisy FIRST HAND...a clear attack of "double standard-itis" After a bit of soul searching about my feelings, I decided that despite thinking I had open and progressive ideas, we can all be tripped up by our backgrounds and the prevailing norms of society. That was the best "pole lesson" I've learned on SV! One of my favorite polers, the FIRST person I learned spins from on her site, is an exotic dancer. She is a regular on this site and well known to all of us. I'd give anything to have her pole skills. I've had the chance to interact with her about other issues...both pole related and more personal. Believe me, you'll never encounter a person with more character and honesty! Joel Lessing
AliiraAB ·
However, I don't dislike strippers! I promise! If anything... I worry about them a little. Worry in a healthy way, in a "fellow woman" type of a way, because I just don't know if they are a professional exotic dancer with her confidence, emotions, and self-esteem in check, or if they're the stripper who is causing severe emotional damage to herself, via her inner demons playing mind tricks with her. There's also the chance of physical damage through drugs and prostitution. So I only worry a bit, but I don't judge. I hope that makes sense! 😕 I agree! My aunt was a stripper, and it took something that she loved and had a lot of fun with and ruined it for her. Then a couple years ago I had a friend who was a stripper that got stalked leaving the club and was raped by two men, she got HIV from it. 🙁 So I'm hoping you ladies aren't afraid to pack a little friendly steel in your purse just to be on the safe side...or screw pepper spray get bear repellent! (I used to take a can of that for my late night walks) Or have someone you know come after you work to watch you get in the car. Please please be safe ladies!!! I say there's a war on the type of people that like to victimize women and we need to watch braveheart and take notes.
Not to turn this thread into a discussion on sexual violence.... but I am so horribly disgusted by it. It literally makes me sick to my stomach to read things like that. If it were up to me, the punishment for rapists would not simply be jail... they would have their manly parts removed with a dull knife... or maybe something serrated. Either way there would be no anesthesia and they'd have to pee sitting down through a tiny hole for the rest of their lives. 😠 And then they can go to jail where all of the other inmates would have their way with them because they are now the most desirable with no man parts. I realize that this punishment seems cruel and unusual, but then again so was their crime. 😈
If it were up to me, the punishment for rapists would not simply be jail... they would have their manly parts removed with a dull knife... or maybe something serrated Crimping scissors like at the hairdressers! 😈
I didn't read all the responses...so if something similar has been said forgive me. Tonight in one of our Intro to Pole classes we had a girl come in who is a dancer. She was awesome to watch. She was very confident, poised, and sexy as heck! I was completely captivated by her dance. She is looking for formal training for tricks and I'm really looking forward to having her in class! 😀
that story almost made me cry! 😢 i can not belive how heartless and souless some people can be! 😈 no matter what u do for a job or in your social life gives anyone permissin to touch you in any way w/o your consent! 🤸 🤸 i mean who the hell do these pig bastereds think they are?! 🐷 i hope karma finds them and takes a huge swing at them! 😈 ladies i talked about how EVERY woman needs to learn self defense on FB... i hope that heartbreaking story encourages you to learn how to protect yourself. 🫡 doesn't mean you will never be a victim or hurt, but you will be less likely to be a victim as you will know how to cary yourself and what to do and not to do in situations, but if you are attacked you will be a much harder opponet to contend with. 🦇 i know it felt like one of the most empowering things i have ever done when i was able to take a strong man to the ground and keep him there.( defense practice) just something to think about. be a hard target. 😬 i want to see all my pole friends happpy and healthy ! ☀️ 😀
Hehe.........Sorry to dig up an old thread~~ but I figured I would put my 2cents in~~ I have several peeps i know who currently are or have been strippers. I have no issues one way or another with what people do to make a living. It irks me when I come across "polers" who have that holier that thou attitude and they generally get put in their place right quick if I am within earshot. I came to love my inner bitch a long time ago and I don't put up with a lot of crap from people if they are being rude, condescending or just plain catty. I firmly believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinion but where I draw the line real quick is when people try to ram their opinion down others throats. I have a very live and let live attitude. I won't dislike someone unless they are a complete ass......even then, I remain cordial and civil but you certainly won't find me asking to meet them for coffee.. One of my closest friends is an ex stripper. The struggles we still deal with on a day to day basis in her case are brutal to say the least. In her case, her emotional baggage is what got her involved in stripping. She has self esteem issues, insecurity issues and abandonment issues. A deadly combination for someone who also has addictive personality. She got hooked on the high of being the center of attention and men drooling over her.(the self esteem issues) Her insecurity and abandonment issues led her to be looking for love in all the wrong places.......married men/or men that just wanted to tap her ass~which then led into a massive drug and alcohol problem so she could cope with all hurt etc.... Now, in her case, I say to her quite often.....You can take the stripper out of the peeler bar, but you can't take the stripper out of the dancer. (has a big bearing on exactly why they got involved in the industry) If a dancer is in it for putting themselves through school, supporting a family etc....they have completely different priorities and goals than someone like my friend who was looking to feel good about herself and went down the wrong path. Even after leaving the industry, she still thrived on being the center of attention at any cost. There were moments where she has embarrassed me so badly I wouldn't go anywhere with her or have her at my house if we were having any kind of function. This behavior, although not directly her fault, was owed to drug and alcohol addiction. As with any addict, I refused to go down with the ship. Her & I didn't speak for many months. I loved her enough to let her go.....if you know what I mean. Some people need to hit rock bottom before they can begin to climb back up. As of today, her & I speak frequently, get together to pole, I will take her as a second set of eyes if I am doing a large workshop, and most importantly- she is clean! She joined AA and NA and attends daily meetings to help her cope. She has learned a lot about herself and is starting the process of recovery which in turn means learning to deal with her issues. Kudos to her! I love her.......but I couldn't sit by and watch her destroy herself and her family....so I had to let her go. Now, I will be the first to tell anyone.............I, as most people do, have addictive tendencies. However, what most people do not seem to realize is that as with most things, there is a good side and a bad side. Black/White....Night/Day.... When I become impassioned with something(pole is a good example....so is learning for me) I engross myself in it mind, body & soul. I live it, breathe it ....you get the point. It consumes me.......My housework will fall off to the back burner, I start getting into irregular sleeping patterns.... Yet, I know myself well enough to know when it has taken over and it is time for me to pull back. 😎 That addictive personality is exactly why I stay away from drugs and only socially drink. Cuz I know myself well enough and I am honest with myself to "know thyself" heehehe Anyway............just thought I would toss in my 2 cents on what my personal experience has been helping a friend cope with the aftermath of the ugly side of the industry. I know of other girls who go to work, get paid and go home to their family. All regular job type stuff. They are quite happy, have no addictions and are flippin hilarious to be around! Hard to hide aspects of your personality without any clothes on......LOL.........Kind of removes all the facades we humans tend to play out in front of one another. LOL huge huggies reenie...
Im actually a fan of strip clubs and exotic dancers i have nothing against them i would actually like to dance in a club if i wouldnt have to get naked :P any girls want to give me tips??
Hey Jenni, Montreal has lots of strip clubs with really talented girls. Maybe you can get a few other pole dancers together and arrange a performance night or a mini show at one of them. I believe one of the pole studios in Vancouver has an arrangement like that at a strip club there. I've seen some videos of it on youtube. Or get hired and quit before your 2nd performance when clothes has to start coming off lol
unlike other people here: I don't judge, but I don't agree with the lifestyle choice (I also don't agree with premarital sex for example, but don't go screaming at my flatmate because her boyfriend is over, etc). It's not my place to do that. I think it's very different to judge someone AND to respect & love a person, but be not agree with some of their behaviour (think if someone you loved became addicted to drugs or involved in something dangerous.. that might help you grasp what I'm trying to get at). To empahisze this point further, I should say that my current instructor works at a club. She is an amazing dancer. She knows that the classes that she's teaching are for people who are more interested in pole for fitness than performance, so obviously she teaches us more tricks than body waves/sexy floor work. One of the girls from the class actually might be working clubs soon too. While I don't agree with it, I think she's an awesome dancer and wonderful woman! I decided that I would like to keep dancing out of the clubs and use competitions or showcases as avenues of self-expression. I also don't like the idea of guys gawking at me sexually which is why I am intentionally developping a fun and quirky style over a sexy one. But hopefully someday I will have a lovely husband for whom I'll get to work some body waves, etc. *blushes*. :) I love SV because there are all kinds of women with different backgrounds, skills, and goals all in love with pole. And everyone is always excited for on another when we reach those goals. I think this community will stay that way. SO WELCOME!
Thanks cherished, ill check it out! I also do my best to respect other peoples opinions because we all come from a different place with different beliefs but like reenie aka mysfit I have also learned to love my inner bitch ;) I stand up for myself, and i stand up for what I think is right
The inner bitch is a great thing. When I let her out to play, no one gives me crap. LopsiJulie--it's fine to have a different opinion and to not approve of the lifestyle but still respect that that's what someone has decided to do--that's part of being human. We don't all think the same, we don't all have the exact same opinion--that would be really boring. I don't have a problem with someone making a living that way as long as they don't come out of it with a lot of issues and destructive habits, but I can see why someone wouldn't necessarily approve of a job where you get naked for strangers. I wouldn't do it, not because I'm shy, but because I don't have the patience to deal with grabby perverts who have decided that I'm not only a sex symbol, but a sexual object there for them to do whatever they want with, not to mention that I'd rather choose who gets to see my lady stuff than any guy who had the money for the door fee and is watching me up on stage. My boyfriend went to a strip club once years before we were dating and had the joy of seeing some nasty guy watching the girls on stage and furiously wanking off. That scared him off strip clubs, and me from ever even thinking about giving it a go, because I don't want to ever look down from a stage and see that.
I love the whole idea of strippers in general, its what got me interested in pole dancing. The time and care they take of their bodies (the majority of them I hope) It seems like such hard work getting your skin smooth, hairless, perfectly glowing (I have awful bad eczema skin so thats like an unatainable dream for me) not to mention all the hair and makeup etc. And thats before the being in high heels for hours on end chatting folk into dances and actually dancing. the rejection and having to control situations with drunk folk Just wow From my view I'd say they work pretty damn hard for a living and its a shame people judge them for their LEGAL career
Aviva ·
I've been a stripper for a long time now but it wasn't until I started teaching at Xpose that I could and did openly talk about it. I am not ashamed of it and I think it's my attitude that I present about it to people that make it real hard for them to hold negatvie judgement about me. I've found most people that stick with poling and get into the pole community don't even let it phase them.
When I first watched videos on youtube of sarah cretul pole dancing, i thought she was just amazing. she had so much strength and control and it inspired me to get better at pole dancing. then i started wondering what happened to her. she hasn't been competing much lately and we don't hear about her alot... then i found some old newspaper articles about her online talking about her being an extic dancer. i always knew she had been an exotic dancer because some of her youtube videos were taken at strip clubs and they referred to her by her stage name (Joy)... anyways, it really saddenned be the way people put her down for being an exotic dancer. they even judged her father for putting up a pole in their barn. it really made me mad. i wish my parents could accept that i'm an exotic dancer. i can't really be open about it because of that but she was lucky enough to... but even though she was one of the best in the country and invented the twisted grip handspring lift and contributed so much to the pole dancing community, people tried to take that away from her because she was a stripper. however, karol helms is open about how she used to be an exotic dancer and people aren't so critical of her. i guess it's because she's so popular on youtube and helps other people with her tutorials and stuff... anyways, to me, pole dancing and stripping are separate and just because i might use the pole to grab attention at work, doesn't mean that pole dancing isn't an art in itself. if i never danced for money, i would still want to take pole classes. i just don't know what to say when people ask me if i'm a stripper because i don't want them to automatically discredit my pole work. that's why people like natasha wang have to stress that they've never been a stripper on national television, otherwise nobody will ever take pole dancing seriously as an art and sport.
@horsecrazy - hahahahaha! I'm glad we're on the same page with the R.E.S.P.E.C.T. (written like it should be sung!). Yeah, I'd be mortified. I'm a prude probably because I hold the human body to be quite a sacred thing. And yes, I only want ONE man to see my bits (although I guess a doctor might also...). Hopefully I'll find him someday :) (Some people say I'm traditional, I'd like to think I'm revolutionary by using my sexual freedom to abstain until I have my permit - a wedding ring! Tehe!). I have a question for everyone: can you be a stripper without being talented at pole? (Ie just have someone who needs "easy" money). I guess it's possible. I think the thing that annoys me about the whole issue is that when I tell people I do pole FITNESS (I don't dare use the word dance!), they still think of sleasy clubs. The thing is most of these people haven't been in a club (nor have I actually), but what the media shows (eg in CSI or in movies) are women dancing next to a pole and the occasional spin. It's frustrating because obviously there is WAY more, and I'd like to believe based off the women I know that work the clubs that these women are way more talented. At the same time it wouldn't surprise me if most stuck to spins and climbs because they are working like 8hr shifts and I'm dead after 5 min of pole. :) But still, when I watch a show it has a clip of pole dancing I'm always frustrated by what I see!
@lopsijulie: of course you can be a stripper and not very talented on the pole. making money as a stripper is mostly about looks and partly about personality (because you have to convince ppl to buy dances). i've seen plenty of girls do very little on stage, maybe a twirl or two, and make plenty of money because they look hot. depends on the guy, really. some guys need you to charm their pants off, some just want the hottest girl they see. it's important to keep in mind that everyone has a type, if you're not a guy's type and he turns you down, you might be someone else's type. girls get all bent out of shape sometimes when they get rejected and assume they're not hot or didn't do enough pole work but sometimes, you just didn't click or you're just not his type. in either case, i've seen ugly girls who were good salespeople make alot of money and alot of cute girls who did very little work make alot of money. it just depends on alot of factors.
Arent Sarah Cretul's family acrobats or something? Putting a piece of equipment up in the barn to practise another form of acrobatics that you will use to make a living entertaining people seems pretty normal to me. I think its great she can be open with her father about it and he supports her. Thats awful she got so much negativity from some people though. You know I had no idea karol helms had worked as an exotic dancer! hehe I don't know where I have been! I see why people seperate the two (dancing and fitness) to make people more tolerant of pole as a sport but at the same time I wish they didnt have to. One of my friends described some people he knew as pole dancing for 'fitness' (in that he wasn't convinced). We quickly spoke up saying we pole dance for fun! One girl even used to dance for a job I guess it depends on peoples attitudes where you live and such
@lainey c: i didn't know that about her family... i also didn't mean that him putting a pole up meant he accepted her dancing as a stripper. i mean lots of people put a pole up if they dance for fitness or compete in pole competitions like she does... but she also said, "I have a great, great father" and since she's open about being a stripper, i'm sure her parents know about it. that's why i think they're supportive of her doing it as a job and i think the two are very separate, even though there are poles in strip clubs. i think the question "are you a stripper?" shouldn't even come up... i guess with time people will be more accepting and informed about pole dancing as a sport and hopefully in the future, nobody will care whether someone was or is an exotic dancer just because they pole dance... but that's just wishful thinking
Welcome Solsticedark! It IS rather hard to find judgment on SV...;) ;) (Man.. I leave for a few days and it takes me forever to read all of this. :) I have to say tho' - Friday nite the BF and I went to a club (tee hee) (not my first 'rodeo') BUT.. the first time I've been in one SINCE I started trying this! LOL.. MAN.. It was GREAT to talk to some 'peers', if you will. lol I even told a couple of them about this site because they wanted to know more Stuff! Honestly... every Veener I've seen on SV has more 'chops' than what I saw Friday night. But then.. THEY'RE up there for an 8+ hour Shift, so if the fancy pole moves are missing, or few and far between, but I COMPLETLY get it! :):) My daughter (yes, I'm gonna put the sad face .. cause she's my Baby! ;( is now working a Managment position at a pretty posh Texas club) But hey.. at least she's keepin her clothes ON now! 🥂 She has been through some pretty awful stuff (no drugs) in her years off and on working in those clubs, and she does suffer from some mental illness (PTSD or ?? Schitzophrenia - who knows.. anyway..it's currently her year to hate me .. *sigh*). She was either born with it, or severly mistreated by a f*cking Horribly Abusive SOB, but I can guarantee.. It wasn't CAUSED by her 'work'. ;) I believe it IS possible to get in there, do your job, and laugh all the way to bank! For any of you ladies that do so.. Keep Your Head About You.. and make damn sure the management has ESCORTS to your vehicle after shift!!!!!! IF not, find a better club to work! Okay.. I'm done now. :)
farther up someone posted about locatin being a factor. i think that may have at least some part in it. here in the Nam the road where all the clubs are is pretty scandolous.. =\ and some im sure think they have to be drunk or high to put themselves out there. but iknow alot that dont, so that too then depends on the person. as for strippers tho and poledance/polefitness, i dont know if anyones been on stripperweb~ i go there all the time to learn like shaving tips and things like that ^^ but alot of them seem to be really grrrr at us and what we do. like mocking us and mad that they think were trying to keep them out of the clubs by learning how to be strippers. im like no.. guys will still go anways because its different. were animals. my husband described it to me like, were lions.. in their prides they have how many females, so for a man to be with one woman thats why he looks at them, not be with them but just look. it made sense to me how he explained it i dont know but yeah. they will still go .. BUT... >=} now when my husband goes hes like O-o wtf was that?! that was a shitty gemini~?! you can do that much better babe~ hehehehe yeah.. all of it is just really weird...
amcut ·
Everyone who has said they they are a stripper in this thread is immediately required to make a floorwork video, stat.
