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LMAO! An entire case? Jeez, woman. Of course, if I ever settle on a grip aid that I love I’m pretty sure I will be buying it in bulk.

I wish I could make the pole jam, but I’m in Washington. The nearest studio is a three hour drive each way, and so far I haven’t heard of anyone closer who poles, and no pole jams near me as far as I know. I’m so lonely. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_lol.gif

Grrrip is okish for me. It’s better than Dry hands, which takes about two spins befire it’s like I just never put it on, but it still doesn’t last through a whole average length song. I’m curious now how it will work if I use it the way you use Tite Grip.

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That’s a good idea–I hadn’t thought about putting grip aid on a few hours before I pole. I always just slap it on while I’m warming up, wait for it to dry, then start poling. I’ll try that tomorrow or Friday, whenever I have the time to practice again, and see if that helps.

I forgot you use Tite Grip–that’s probably one of the few I actually haven’t tried. Also, I checked out the Itac website and just took the plunge and ordered some since the price was decent, especially since it looks like you get a lot of product. I’m curious to know how it’ll work on us, since it sounds like you’re just as sweaty as I am. If it doesn’t work, and putting on anti-perspirant a couple of hours before poling doesn’t either, I think I’ll check out Tite Grip since you like it so much. Can’t hurt to try it.

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I haven’t written any blogs on here, actually, so that was someone else. I have the Lil’ Mynx, and she has no pole. That’s why she’s coming over to my place to dance. If she doesn’t pole with me, she doesn’t pole period. I don’t want to take that away from her, but if she can’t use some common sense and listen to me, then I’m going to have to.

And you bring up a good point about liability–I was actually just talking to my boyfriend about that. I’d like to think she wouldn’t, and part of me doesn’t think she would because we’ve been friends for so long, but I’m not taking anything for granted in this sue-happy society, and like you said, desperate people do desperate things. I just wish she would accept that there are moves she just can’t physically do and shouldn’t even attempt yet.

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Hmm. I might have to try this–I have ridiculously sweaty hands, though, so I’m thinking I should maybe go for the level 3 or 4. I have the Mighty Grip gloves, and though they are helpful, my fingers sweat so much that I have to wear something under the gloves as well, or I can’t climb the pole because my fingers slip. The longest lasting grip aid I’ve found so far is liquid chalk, and I can’t slide down or spin in that. I’ve tried rubbing alcohol, Prince, No Sweat, Dry Hands, Grrip, prescription strength anti-perspirant, and probably some others that I’m forgetting, and I sweat through all of them in about a minute. It doesn’t help that it’s so damn hot here right now, either. Even with the air conditioner running full blast, I’m dripping like a pig (lovely imagery I know,) ten minutes into any workout.

How long does this stuff last on really sweaty people? Charley, let me know if it stays on you for a while–I remember you mentioning before that you sweat a lot too. I’m curious how it does with really, really sweaty people. I’m tired of sliding all over the place while I’m trying to transition into other moves on the pole. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_evil.gif

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I’ve seen people do a little hop to get into an invert, and while I think they still need to develop their upper body/ab strength enough so that they can do a nice controlled invert that doesn’t involve momentum, at least that’s not as bad as what she did. This was a full on fling yourself into the air and hope for the best deal.

I just think that if she wants me to teach her some stuff, then she should listen to what I’m telling her. Like I said, I’m obviously no expert (in fact, as soon as she gets beyond just the first few basic spins, I’m going to make her watch Veena’s lessons, because I don’t think I have any business teaching anyone harder tricks since I’ve been poling under a year,) but I’m not a complete dunce either. She either needs to respect that it’s my space and my equipment, so we’re going by my safety rules, or she doesn’t get to pole.

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Get the hell out. I really don’t see how anything positive could possibly result from this situation. What you’re descirbing not only sounds like a scam, but sexual harrassment as well. Do you really want to put up with that? There are better opportunities for you out there.

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I finished reading the whole thread last night, and here’s the way I look at it: it’s no wonder their perspectives are skewed when they’ve got their heads that far up their asses. Everything looks way different when the sun don’t shine, ya’ know?

I didn’t see one intelligent argument against pole dancing. Most of them went something like this:

When a woman pole dances, she’s not empowered because she’s turning herself into a sexual object for men. All right, well how about the men who pole dance? Or what about the women who have never pole danced in front of a man, and only do it in the privacy of their own home with no one else watching because it’s fun and makes them feel sexy? Also, empowerment is a personal thing. What is empowering to me may not be empowering to someone else. Something that makes me feel good about myself and makes me feel like a strong, capable woman is an empowering activity, for me. That same activity may not necessarily be empowering for someone else because we’re all different, but an outsider can’t tell me what should and should not be empowering to me. That’s for me to figure out.

Pole dancing leads to/is just another form of prostitution. Wow. This one I think really takes the cake. I think this is the case of the shoulders actually entering the ass as well as the head. Last time I checked, prostitution was the act of exchanging sex for money. What in the hell that has to do with pole dancing, I’m not even going to venture a guess.

Several of them also made the assumption that someone who has a pole is low income, tacky, whoreish, and a little stupid. That’s a lot to assume just from one little ol’ pole. They must be psychic. Wish I had that kind of power; I’d be winning the lottery constantly. Also, there was a comment made suggesting the OP might as well suck off the postman or something like that–what the hell?! Does the pole have evil powers? Is it secretly influencing all of us to sleep around on our husbands and boyfriends and generally act like porn stars? Did I miss something? I mean, am I supposed to be having orgies in my living room around my pole?

I really think these women need to remove the sticks from their asses. They must have pretty stale lives if the thought of some other woman actually having fun by spinning around a tall metal object sends them into frickin’ tizzy fits.

A pole is really just a pole. It’s a piece of metal, not a representation of every single woman over the ages who has been dumped on/exploited by man. Jesus.

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Yeah, I can’t even get pissed at comments like that, because they’re just so ridiculously stupid. I agree with you and think that it’s probably actually better for the pole community in the end, because sane people will see that and go ‘Um, this person is anti-pole and is clearly two dead brain cells shy of a coma patient, so maybe I should give it another shot.’

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Jenn, love the video link you posted; I found it a while ago and have already watched it a few times when I need inspiration. I like the way that lady moves.

And Alethea is indeed the all-time floor goddess.

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So this is my favorite new anti-pole comment–it’s actually not from that forum, but was a commen I found on a youtube video of a pole dancer on Britain’s Got Talent:

She had to really desexualise this routine it was boring. Don’t believe the lies the poledancing industry tell you. Most women will NOT end up as good dancers,? and many who get into poldancing, having had it marketed to them as "artistic" will end up in clubs, probably in prostitution. I have seen better routines in national championships. I have seen the inner workings of the poledancing industry and they are liars. They are like pimps, getting women into the sex industry by omitting truth.

https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif

So I bet all of you evil, nasty, depraved pole studio owners have sold all your students into sexual slavery, haven’t you? I mean, I don’t know about you guys, but I’ve had my pole about 10 months now, and I am most definitely a prostitute. (Well, not yet, but maybe in this economy… https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_lol.gif )

Seriously, what an idiot. Obviously she’s never been around anyone in the pole dancing industry.

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I still don’t feel 100% joyful about my move. There’s such a sadness about losing my adorable, personality-packed first apartment. ESP because I forgot to take pics before I tore it all apart like a total idiot. Arg. I hope it’s normal to feel so torn even when a choice seems like the best choice on it’s front.

I think that’s probably normal. Change can be a scary thing, because you’re moving toward the unknown. Your old apartment is safe because it’s familiar, whereas this new place has no history to it, and you’ve got no attachment to it yet. People tend to cling to their first anything–I felt bad about getting rid of my first car because it was what I had learned to drive in, and even though it was just the most basic gets-you-around car as could be, it was my first car and I loved it. But it was also old with a lot of mileage on it and was starting to get to the point where it was probably going to nickle and dime me to death, so I knew it was time to move on to something newer.

Take a deep breath, and just imagine that beautiful pole room and all the good memories you’re going to make there.

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Amazing! I’m in awe of the strength it takes to do that.

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I know some people are like that; to a certain degree I am too–tell me not to do something and I just want to do it more. The difference here I think is that it is a safety issue, and it’s also my place and my pole, so my rules. I don’t feel like I should have to watch an adult like a hawk because if I don’t they might severely hurt themselves doing something that someone who has more knowledge on the subject has shown them they cannot physically do. I can’t do the splits yet–that doesn’t mean I’m going to keep forcing myself down into them before I’m ready just because I’m determined to get them. I’m working up to them slowly–stretching every day and being careful not to push past my comfort zone, even thought I really, really want to be able to do the splits right now. Just because I want to doesn’t mean I am physically able to, and I accept my limitations and am working to push past those limitations.

She could really hurt herself flinging into an invert like that, and a medical bill is the last thing she needs/can afford. She is a single parent with two small children, and literally has about $20 to her name each month. I think injuring herself doing something stupid is the last thing she needs.

Also, while I can’t control what she does on her own time, I do feel like because it’s my pole and my place where we are practicing, that I am partially responsible for her safety as the more experienced one. I guess I sort of look at it this way: if this same thing was taking place in an actual structured class, do you think the instructor would put up with that? Not for a second. And while it’s not exactly the same situation, it is the same principle.

I don’t want to stop poling with her, but I do think she needs to understand that if she wants to be reckless, she needs to do it on her own equipment, on her own time.

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Jeez. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif What a bunch of close-minded people. I don’t think any of us are that surprised, though, are we? Pole dancing still has a long way to come–while it’s more mainstream now, many people still think of it as a dirty activity and automatically assume you’re some kind of wanton slut if you do it, regardless of if it’s in the privacy of your own home or in front of an audience, and regardless of what you’re wearing/not wearing.

The part I don’t get is why women will jump down someone’s throat and scold them for thinking they’re ’empowered’ by pole dancing when really they’re just making themselves into a sexual object for men and that they must be some kind of idiot. Some women never dance for a man, and only do it in the privacy of their own home–so how in the hell are they just a sexual object for men? I have danced for my boyfriend a couple of times because it’s fun dressing up and having an appreciative audience, and he enjoys it as well, but the vast majority of the time I just dance for myself because it’s a way to have fun and challenge myself at the same time. I’m not hurting anyone else, and when I perform for my boyfriend, it’s a performance between two consenting adults who have been together for over three years, in the privacy of my living room–why that’s wrong or, frankly, anyone’s business is beyond me.

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I agree with what everyone else has said. I don’t believe there is some mysterious ‘fate’ out there that makes everything happen–you gotta’ do that yourself. This sounds like a good move for you; I would go for it. I’m in a one bedroom apartment in an ok part of town with my pole set up on a carpet that fuzzes up like a dog shedding, and if I had the money to get into a place with a pole room with mirrors and hardwood floor, I’d be on it so fast I’d still have carpet fuzz sticking to my pants from the shockwave that disturbed it up off the floor after I zoomed out the door.

We all get attached to things/places, but like amy said, happiness is a state of mind. You will probably move several times throughout your life; it’s not easy, but you make your own memories at every place you move to, and then instead of one place with happy memories, you have five or six places all with happy memories. Take the plunge; make it happen, regardless of whether your boyfriend can help you or not.

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Like everyone else has already said, public poling = attention, both good and bad. And again like has already been mentioned, the worst of the attention is most likely going to come from insecure women. So many women have all these little insecurities lurking, and the second another woman starts getting attention from a man (whether the insecure woman even gives a crap about the man or not,) then it seems to be just an instinct for the insecure woman to go on the attack. Insecure women need that attention on themselves, because they need to feel like they are desirable to men because whatever reason they don’t see themselves as desirable. So if you are doing something that men find desirable, it pisses that woman off because now the attention is getting taken away from her. I’ve dealt with this before, just like many of us have, I’m sure. (Not in relation to pole, just in general. Women can get really nasty if they think men find you more attractive than them. It generally has nothing to do with you, and everything to do with all their own insecurities.)

One of the local bars may be getting a pole in, and I’m debating whether I want to bother with it if/when it does go up. Part of me wants to perform in front of a little bit of an audience that isn’t my boyfriend or my best friend, but at the same time I really don’t think I have the patience to put up with the potential crap.

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It’s my favorite floor move–I think it looks so sexy. I’m still practicing my basic body wave too–I’m getting better and more fluid with it, but honestly, it’s probably one of the hardest pole moves I’ve ever tried. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_lol.gif Shoulder mount, no problem, but you want me to ripple my body back and forth and make it look all sexy? Yeah…not so much.

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Thanks, Veena, that helps actually. I was trying to actually roll my shoulders once the movement came forward through my hips and into my back, and I was also trying to keep my chest glued to the floor. I’ll keep those tips in mind next time I have some time to try it.

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i recently saw this, from a regular climb: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkRntBBPCLw&playnext_from=TL&videos=MiJXW6VpB4U" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks for the video link–I like the way she got into that. (And I LOVED the body wave at the end!) I’ll probably watch that a few times and make some attempts at doing it that way. I can side climb, but don’t really like the way it looks–even when it’s done smoothly, the move just sort of looks awkward to me for some reason, so I’d rather just do a regular climb up to it, although I might practice it from a side climb a few times just for some variety.

Empy, the body roll I’m talking about is in this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8m86UFq_Wg&feature=PlayList&p=7BF552B08BE6B42B&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=12

If the link isn’t working for you (I kept getting an error message, but I think it might be my computer since it’s giving me some problems right now,) then it’s in Veena’s lessons under the beginner section. It’s a floorwork video–I think it’s just called a floor body roll or maybe body wave, but someone correct me if I’m wrong.

I have to go to the store tomorrow, so I’ll try and remember and pick up some batteries and film myself trying some of the floor body rolls so you guys can get a better idea of how to help me. Thanks for the tips!

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fb hasnt given me any problems with my few pics i have up. but then i am in workout shorts and shirt.

To be honest, I don’t think it matters what you’re wearing. It’s not like FB has a dress code policy, other than don’t show up naked. There’s nothing in their policy against putting up pictures of yourself in a bathing suit, yet I was kicked off. It just depends on who sees your pictures and whether they are offended by someone pole dancing. Someone can flag your photos for any reason, that’s why it can become a problem since it seems like despite their claim that they review the situation, they don’t actually review anything. I would make sure your pics are set on friends only just to be on the safe side, and that your FB friends know about and support your pole dancing, otherwise you can run into the same problems I did.

I think if they don’t have the man power to actually review anything, than they probably shouldn’t claim that they have reviewed the situation. Be honest about it, at least. Just send a form letter saying something along the lines of ‘your account has been flagged as in violation twice now and it is our policy to ban after two offenses yadda yadda yadda.’

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Having said that, if they don’t have the capacity to review all content, I don’t think automatic banning is the appropriate solution.

Exactly. I get that they have tons and tons of users, so it makes sense if they can’t physically review everything, but banning someone on a second offense that wasn’t even really a violation doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. I think they really need to get a better system in place, otherwise it can become an incredible headache for users who haven’t actually done anything wrong.

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There are TONS of pole dancers on Facebook. It’s not like I’m the only one.

Considering the way Facebook handled my situation, I really don’t think they actually review anything. They just either disable your account or kick you off if someone complains about you, regardless of whether it’s legit or not. Which kind of defeats the whole purpose of having rules and guidelines in the first place, honestly.

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God, why do these people think the female body is inherently pornographic or lewd whenever it is displayed??? https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_thumbdown.gif

Exactly! I feel like I uploaded pornographic shots of me totally naked with my legs spread and all my bits hanging out from the way they are handling it. I guess because I am a woman and there was a pole involved, it is automatically lewd even though there was no nudity (no stripper shoes even) involved. It’s not at all about being, I don’t know, a strong athlete who has worked hard to get where they are? Sex is easy; hanging upside down from a pole by just your legs? Not so much. If pole dancing was all about the sex, a lot more people could do it.

This really just ticks me off, not just that someone would report a picture like that (because I know people like that are out there,) but that Facebook handled it in such a way. De-activate my account without even telling me why, take a week to get back to me only to let me know that I have photographic content on my page that is in violation of their policy, re-activate my account and then take it down again a day and a half later? Then take an additional two weeks and a couple of e-mail requests to respond to me, and just completely ban me from the site?!

I guess my body in a bathing suit is just that offensive.

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So an update: it took two weeks and two e-mails for Facebook to respond to me this time, and this the crappy little form letter that was waiting for me when I got home from work today:

Hi Jennifer,

Your account was disabled because you violated Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. Prohibited behavior includes, but is not limited to:

• Creating or uploading content that is pornographic, sexually suggestive, or contains nudity
• Harassing other people with sexually explicit language
• Sending unsolicited friend requests or Inbox messages to people you don’t know

You will no longer be able to use Facebook. This decision is final and cannot be appealed.

Please note that for technical and security reasons, we will not provide you with any further details about this decision.

Thanks,

Gianna
User Operations
Facebook

So they have completely kicked me off Facebook now. This is complete BS–they need to review their own freaking policy!! The profile picture that I’m sure started all of this was of me doing a cross knee release, in a regular old bathing suit that completely covered everything. I wasn’t even slipping cheek out the side of the bottoms or anything. I fail to see how that falls under ‘pornographic content, nudity, or sexually suggestive’ unless just having the pole there is sexually suggestive in and of itself, which I do not consider it to be. I guess they shouldn’t allow ballet barres either, since those could be turned vertical and become evil.

Everyone, if you have a Facebook account, check and double check that all your pole pics are really set to private. I thought mine were, but obviously I was wrong. I am trying to decide whether to make a new account under another e-mail and start over, or whether I should just say screw it after this experience. I don’t really want whoever got me kicked off to win, though, you know?

Does anyone know if they ban just by e-mail, or by I.P. address?

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Thanks for the info, everyone! I did not see an option for not having a profile pic when I first set up my account–otherwise I wouldn’t have had one. I thought it just automatically set one of your pictures as your profile pic, but as you can tell I’m not super social networking site savvy, and I’m used to Myspace’s settings. If I remember correctly, my sister had to help me with some of my Facebook settings, as she’d had one for a while.

Still no word from them on my profile. I’m hoping to get an e-mail from them soon so I can just fix everything so it will stop getting reported.