Pole Dancing Is For Every Body
You would think this goes without saying, especially in 2020. Yet, even most of the current content related to pole dancing lack a great deal of diversity. Not just in race, religion, gender identity, sex, and/or ethnicity, but also – still - in body types. There are many polewear brands, schools, and pole influencers out there who promote the opposite but unfortunately, it is still not as common as it should be.
Since JLo’s Superbowl performance, there was an increase in general interest for pole dancing, albeit short-lived. Social media started flooding with praise for the singer, who was not the first woman to ever do this sport. No shade, though! I love Jenny and I think what she did brought a lot of positive attention to pole dancing. But, aside from JLo, social media is also flooded with images of pole dancers with seemingly perfect bodies and the flexibility of a rubber band – I am looking at you, you amazing Russian pole dancers. This can make it quite difficult for pole noobs to even try a class.
As someone who left her home country and started a new life completely on her own, I had no problems in trying out a class with a room full of strangers nor did I worry about my skin colour, religion, or body type. Sure, I had my own insecurities, but I joined the class to work on them. As the years went by and I gained the experience of an instructor, I realized that only a minority of women feel the same way. Regardless of age, starting something new can be quite daunting. Starting something new where you will have to face your insecurities can be even scarier. That is why most women join a new class with a friend: for support, and sometimes to prevent one another from feeling left out. Others tend to try a class through a group workshop, like a hen party or a random – mostly – girls’ day out.
However, experience has taught me that the main thing women fear when joining a pole class, is because of their body type. Pole dance is often seen as something sexy that attractive women like JLo do. But, let’s face it: the average woman is not Jennifer Lopez. The average woman does not get paid to exercise and look as good as Jennifer Lopez does. As a matter of fact, the average woman must work a little harder on staying fit in her spare time outside of her regular day job and perhaps, even raising her children. This is rarely ever shown in the mainstream media. Instead, these are the things you must proactively look for and that can leave the impression that it is some sort of “hidden secret”, that pole dancing is only for a certain group of women. This can turn someone off from ever trying a class, rather than wanting to make a change. Besides, not everyone can or wants to catch the first few waves of criticism from family members or nasty social media trolls, which is understandable.
Having trained beginners, I noticed that girls of bigger body types fear and/or face a lot of mockery for doing pole, which broke my heart. I may not share this battle but, as an instructor, I have to be aware of the issues they might face. This is not to say that women of other body types do not face any body insecurities. They also feel insecure about their lack of weight, muscle tone, curves, boobs, butt, etc. Pole dancers are often portrayed as skinny, toned women with none of those ‘manly’ muscles in sight but they actually come in all shapes, sizes, and colours. While I personally noticed an increase in my muscle tone, there are smaller girls in my class who are as strong as I am, but with less visible muscles or bigger girls who are less strong but more flexible. If you look at the professionals like Anastasia Sokolova, Felix Kane, Lisette Krol, Terri Fierce or Sarah Scott, you can see their beautiful, strong bodies. But, that does not mean you have to look like them to do pole in the first place. Realistically, this is only possible if you do pole as much as they do, and then some! Once you dive into the social media world of pole, you will discover many other polers of many different shapes and sizes to prove every conservative judgement incorrect.
The notion that pole dancing is easier or even specifically ‘made’ for skinny women does not hold any merit – look at the amazing Nicole Byers. The truth is that pole dance is not easy, period. If it were, we would all be paid professionals! Your body type does not determine your pole journey. Like with any other sport, it depends on the amount of time and effort you dedicate to practicing. A pole move seems to come easier to your instructor or an advanced student, because they spent months or years training for it. They spent multiple evenings filled with regular practice, sometimes even with additional strength and flexibility training on the side. The same rule would apply to swimming lessons or other non-recreational activities, such as learning to ride a bike or drive a car: the more you do it, the better you become at it.
Having that said, this does not deny the individual struggles each body type may encounter. Apart from regular training, it is all about getting to know your body, its strengths and its weaknesses. Skinnier girls have less skin to grab the pole with, which means they need more strength – thus more energy - to hold themselves up, which can tire them out quicker. Meanwhile, bigger girls have the advantage of having more skin surface sticking to the pole, thus using this lovely cheat to catch a little breather in between or save some energy on additional strength. Taller girls need more strength to carry the length of their bodies, shorter girls may be at a more advantageous position, especially if the ceilings are low. Women with larger breasts may struggle with certain moves that are easier for women with smaller breasts. The same difference applies to strength and flexibility: I may not be able to jump into a split like my friend. But, I can do deadlifts, which is her weakness. Mind you: I am currently excluding individual health and/or medical conditions, which can also affect your exercise journey. And please, do not get me started on the differences between men and women in pole: that is just a whole other world!
If you are thinking of joining a local pole dance class, take no note from the perfect shots you see on Instagram. Instead, try to follow accounts that showcase the practice sessions, the failures, and the diversity, like the ladies at @celestial_aerial_arts, @curvygirlspole, @blackgirlspole, @thefamousmsvegas, @dreacosta, @the_real_sea_witch, and @hijabiluscious – just to name a few! Dan Rosen’s hilarious @polelols is a relatable pole meme account where polers all over the world share their personal mishaps. You will soon see that body type, race, religion, ethnicity, culture, etc. does not matter! The representation may need a little improvement, but do not let that stop you. My personal tip would be to take pictures from the first class. This sounds as scary as it is, but it helps you get used to seeing your body on the pole. Do not expect to look like the professional pole dancers online but do expect to be proud of your progress when you have pictures to look back on after a few months. And no matter what anyone says, you can do pole! It does not matter if you are big, small, average, curvy, skinny, tall, short, Spanish, Indonesian, Polish, black, white, Christian, Muslim, or anything inbetween – you, too, can pole dance.
At the end of the day, we all fall, bruise, and graze our skin. The Superman burns the inside of all our thighs and the possibility of falling on your face in Batman or while doing flips remains the same. Take pride in the journey that you are about to take your body and mind on and be prepared to proudly face the world with conspicuous bruises on your ass.
Written by Indah Suria
Indah is an Ireland based contributor from The Netherlands. After her BA (hons) in film and her masters in creative media practice, she runs Suria Creative - her own freelance writing and design business. When she is not working, she makes time to practice photography, yoga, pole or any other form of dancing. On her lazy days, she enjoys reading or binging series. While at home she is known to be the queen of snacks, on IG she’s just plain old @indahgramm and has a pole account at @impolefection. You can catch her freelance work at www.suriacreative.com.