Children and Pole Dance on Anderson Cooper
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Charley ·
If we are going to bring children into mainstream studios then I think it's important to rebrand it. Rebranding means removing heels and bikini's from websites and creating a yoga type image for the place of business, it means not having hot pink walls and animal prints, it means taking down sexy silhouttes, removing sky high platform shoes, it means putting forth a fitness image, no sexy videos, lingerie links or slutty outfits. It's not about what WE think it's about the perceptions other have. I am cool with kids pole dancing, infact my friend let her niece try on my "bond girl" heels as the girls call them and they fit her - she's only ten. The girls had a blast playing dress up and dancing around the pole - but how does that look? To us - hilarious and fun, to others who don't understand? Like we are sexualizing little girls. So, kids and pole dancing - go for it, but lets retune it a little so we're not calling it pole dancing and so that it's "family" acceptable to majority of the population.
Interesting points Charley. I agree about the rebranding. The thing is, I like the sexy elements of pole. It's healthy to express your sexuality in this way. And although pole isn't always sexual, it can be. I don't think it's possible to have one side have the sexy stuff allowed and then also have the public respect it as a serious form of fitness with absolutely no sexiness. Can we have our cake and eat it too? I don't know...
Yes, it's SO much healtheir to teach kids to beat the crap outta one another in football or hockey. On Toddlers & Tiaras, when they shake their booties, they get a brown!
Charley ·
Irmingard - I think I feel like at this point in time if a studio is going to offer kids classes then they need to take stock of their public image, does that make sense. Like if you offer kids classes don't post the fun slutty dancing on your main page - maybe move it to an adult section of the website. This coming from someone who LOVES heels and tiny booty shorts! My fear is that the image of stripping combined with kids will just make US look worse than perhaps we already do to some, I fear it makes us look stupid, I fear that it makes us look like we don;t have any taste. It's a business at the end of the day so business owners need to tread carefully into this. It's not just about money, it's about perception too. We need to create a "family fitness" environment before they even walk in the door. For me, personally, I can't see ever wanting to teach kids, I'd rather focus on women and help them with their journey of self discovery - but that's just me.
I think it's great for boys as well. Look at mrverticle (I think thats his name) and klaus and other guys on this site. They are great. My friend lets her little boy pole and he has a great time.
JhennD ·
hypocritical wonder of being able to climb and SPIN (oh cool!) and be strong. I think it's WRONG to allow our culture to keep being scared of our sexuality. Our bodies can and will be sexy whatever we do- depending on how people view it, or define it. Being sweaty, with hair misplaced, and bruises are not sexy- yet at times that's "pole dancing" for me. Wearing booty shorts, that's volleyball to me. If we make people scared to think outside the box of vertical fitness, pole dancing, "whatever you want to call it to make yourselves feel better-- strippers in training" it will be a long time to open the possibilities for more fun things that are foreign to us and in the US. Maybe in kid classes there should be a horizontal and vertical pole. If I were a guest or audience member I would like to ask, What's your fascination with the stripper population Anderson? Why can't we discuss that? Or are your executive producers fascinated with underage athletes?
JhennD ·
oh my my first message got so edited, stupid phone! I was stating my dad wouldn't let me do jazz as an elementary school child because of the immodest outfits, and the religious base of modesty at all times. He let us dance however we wanted even if some were adult belly dancing moves - ( he mentioned, if the kids are having fun why should I scare them to think there are predators that demonize dance, music, cultural outfits). Also my dad did his best to protect my family against negative self image (if you worked on a team you fall prey of competitors that might not like you for whatever reasons, pressure you to feel and behave not true to yourself) he wanted me to work hard on being healthy and strong. Maybe he would have disapproved of me pole dancing in any point of my life because he would've wanted to protect my body and mind from pain and judgment. But I'm grown up now
JhennD ·
Poling can be done in teams Anderson! I want more friends and boyfriend to pole so we can be a practicing-to-be bad ass doubles!
I'm totally for kids doin pole-fit. My 7yr ols daughter, 4yr old son and 3yr old niece LOVE playing on my pole, they are always askin me to show them new moves I have learnt at class n my daughter I forever tryin to get the moves, lol. I have no problem at all with my kids doin pole-fitness. Also people need to realise that when kids look at a pe they dont associate a pole with strippers, sexy dancing & strip clubs!! Also why is it ok to have ur kids playing on a horizontal pole in gymnastics but not on a pole that is vertical?? An xpe is basically just lyk a gymnastic pole turned on its side!! xxx
megan12 ·
I guess my issue with this is there are many other things that sexualize children but everyone is A-okay with that. But pole, ohhhh nooo...we're turning them into strippers! I mean come on. Take pageants for instance. Mothers dress up their kids, put on makeup, false eyelashes, skimpy sequined costumes, tease their hair to no end and make them dance/sing/perform provocatively to win the judge's vote. No one seems to have an issue with that. In fact, there are television shows devoted to covering children's beauty pageants. Our society as a whole sexualizes women at a very young age. I see girls in grade school wearing makeup and revealing clothing. I'm not saying it's right but I think women like to shame other women out of jealousy. We need to stick together and stop all the hate. There is an obesity epidemic in this country. I don't see how an alternative form of exercise can be a bad thing. It's not like we're putting little girls in thongs and sky high heels. Pole dance/fitness is a legitimate form of exercise and can be something fun both mother and daughter can do together that encourages physical fitness.
given the rate of suicide depression and eating disorders always going up with young girls i honestly see nothing wrong with a child being secure in their own body. I was a fat kid i was bullied in the worst ways and having a poor self image is more likely to cause a young girl to act out sexually. how can something that encourages discipline , concentration, commitment and confidence be bad. afterall we do have young girls as cheerleaders and last time i checked the uniform for that tends to catch mens attention as well.
I used to do belly dance when Shakira first came on the scene and people reacted similarly, and now it is way more acceptable, so I'd like to think that *could* happen with pole. Interracial marriage was not as widely accepted not so long ago but now no one blinks an eye, a lot of things people used to care about seem to fall by the wayside sometimes when they realize it's really quite silly. But then there will always be those people who's minds will never change, I feel like they are a lot of the same people that give me dirty looks for being tattooed, and people that are closed minded and hate anything fun. I think the strip club connotation sadly is what does people's minds in about pole as fitness. Stripping is damn hard work and it makes me angry that people judge because I actually think they are business women but that's another argument. But there are a lot of closed minded people out there and I think it's really hard to change the way people think. I have a bumper sticker that says "my other ride is a pole" on my car and I love driving around wondering what the person behind me thinks about it!!!!!!!!!!!! Sometimes I even look in the rearview mirror and and try to decide by looking at them if they would hypothetically approve or not LOL. I get upset when people say stupid crap about it but at the end of the day I know I am having way more fun and probably enjoying life a little bit more than they are by not taking myself and everything so seriously. Anyone getting that bent out of shape about a metal piece of exercise equipment needs to find other things to worry about!!!!!!
To follow up Megan's thread above don't even get me started on those freaking TV show pageant moms, our society is seriously f'ed up if we can have a drag queen parade puke all over a five year old and throw her on stage to be judged, scored, and valued based entirely on her appearance, but make sure they don't go anywhere near a pole workout class because that's not normal!! A POLE CLASS MIGHT MAKE MY CHILD WANT TO HAVE SEX ONE DAY!!! NEVERRRRRRR!!!!! Maybe if Honey Boo Boo took a pole class people would feel differently about it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
JhennD ·
Here spins(comes) Honey Boo Boo but it would great if she did try it. I know people who eat up that show I HAD to see if, cos I luv TLC- ohh idea TLC needs to have a reality pole show! Anyway it was *interesting* to view. Funny kid- EXCELLENT confidence (luv that) she has.
usagi ·
i work at a strip club and to be honest , most girls dont do the amazing tricks on a pole that is taught in a class. most girls do floor work, ass poppin and such , pole work is done in cirque shows, if i had a pole at home i would teach my little girl tricks. doing tricks ,climbs ,spins and such are not booty poppin and floor work like in a club . ditch the stigma and pole dancing is an art
The sliver lining in this cloud for me is the fact that people on the national media are discussing pole in an open environment. When things creep into the spotlight and become open, I say that creates a more viable pathway to constructive change. I firmly believe that the public stigma will evolve and morph to a more positive acceptance. While at the same time many of those who pole will keep the fires burning strongly for the lineage that developped pole and the artistry it we witness today.
I haven't yet watched those videos - but it saddens me that people get so much objection to pol ein their day-to-day lives. Every single person I've told I do pole has been impressed and genuinely interested in it. I'm lucky in that I've never had anyone outwardly bring me down for it. Sure, I've had a few strange looks, but I just laugh to myself and move on. I was with my younger cousin (4 times removed lol) yesterday, and was telling my auntie about my pole dancing. My younger cousin, who is 6, was so keen to tell me how she climbs the pole at the school playground. She was so excited when I told her that when I next see her I'll bring my pole so she can swing on it. Kids don't have any notion of sexuality and to them, a pole is just a vertical monkey bar. I think it's sad when adults impose their own notions onto kids. Just let them enjoy having fun and being a kid.
I have no objections to children learning pole dance or pole fitness. Even if you call it pole dance that doesn't mean it has to be "SENSUAL" dancing - it's just dancing! However I am concerned about the push to have pole accepted for youth. We still haven't received acceptance for adults to pole dance so now we are putting youth pole dancing in the media and expecting the general population to accept it? I think we are making it even more difficult to have pole accepted at all, when we start putting kids on the pole. Lets get the general public to accept that pole isn't always about sexulization - but that when it is, that's OK too. Then we can start publicly promoting childrens classes. We are making the accpetance of pole dancing much more difficult by adding childrens classes into the mix. I'm not saying we should not hold childrens classes, but why do we need to be in the spotlight? Why give media appearances and interviews about childrens classes? The only other problem I have is studios who teach without the proper knowledge of how to teach fitness to children! There are very different needs in teaching children fitness and if you don't have the education to do so you are irresponsible if you offer such classes. Let alone regulations on how many children per class/per teacher, and what age groups we are combining in these classes! And finally I have to chime in and support the concept of rebranding. Studios should not have even remotely suggestive studio or business name and be hosting childrens classes and I was quite disappointed to see the studio in this clip has platform FMPs on display. If your kids want to play dress up in you FMPs that's one thing but not every parent agrees with that and the studio environment should steer FAR away from this sort of branding.
I have taught pole to children in a circus setting. No eyebrows were raised. Actually, the school sought me out because they had more kids wanting to sign up for pole than they could accommodate. It IS about branding and connotations. This is a hard thing to say because we don't want to hear it and I hate to be the bad guy, but you can't have it both ways. I respect that some people prefer to up play the sensuality while others prefer to downplay it, but you can't say "pole is about expressing your erotic creature! Oh, except not this time, now there's nothing erotic about it." I mean, you CAN say that, but you can't feed that story to the media. I write for magazines, so I have experience in this. A short piece (whether for print or television) only has room to cover a simple narritive. That narrative might be "here is a touching story," "this situation is getting better/worse," or "this is a controversy and here is what both sides have to say about it." we really like that last one because it involves the least amount of bias on our part (of course there is still plenty of room to influence the discussion, but at least we don't have to overtly pick a side). Reality is never that simple, but presenting every last nuance is not practical unless it's a headlining story. So you can't brand pole with sex, then change your story, and expect the media to present the full complexity of the situation. The question is whether the choice needs to be made on the studio level or the industry level. Maybe studio is enough, as Charley described. An industry-wide sterilization from sensuality would dispell the controversy, but is just not going to happen. (Going into more depth on this subject is beyond the scope of this post, but you can read my blog "sexy vs. sporty pole: understanding each other" here: http://acrobaticpole.blogspot.com/2011/09/pole-and-silks-sister-arts.html ) There is some low-hanging fruit we can pick here, though. It's our job to make the public aware that most pole dancing does NOT occur in strip clubs (most exotic dancing does, but not most serious poling), and NO ONE takes up pole to become a stripper-in-training. I've been teaching for years, and have taught many exotic dancers, but I have never had a student who was planning on using skills learned in pole class to break into the adult entertainment industry. if anything, polers get scared off of any thoughts about stripping by hearing negative things about it from strippers they do cross paths with in the pole community. WE are the ones who have to clarify these misconceptions.
acrobaticpole.blogspot.comPole and silks: sister arts When I first started aerial silks and pole, I didn't know anyone else who did both. I was running around trying to explain to my silks inst...Oh weird, just saw it posted the wrong link for some reason. Let's try that again. Sexy vs. sporty: understanding each other http://acrobaticpole.blogspot.com/2012/09/sexy-vs-sporty-understanding-each-other.html
I really agree with Mary Ellyn in that it is a branding issue. I am fine with ADULT women and men wanting to express their sensuality in pole and wear heels and sexy lingerie. Power to them. But if you want to teach to children, your studio has to be an appropriate place to do so. Not only are heels not something children should be wearing, let alone exercising in, it does send the wrong message. The studio I go to is very fitness based, and I love it like that. I know that if I wanted a class that was more 'erotic' I could sign up to Bobbi's, for instance. That is the power of being an adult and being able to make our own choices. The studio I go to also has a men's class, with younger teenage boys in it. Although that's different to children, it again goes to the issue of appropriateness. It's probably inappropriate for a teenage boy to learn in an environment that promotes female sexuality. In an environment that promotes athleticism and fitness, that's fine.
