Christians and pole dance/pole fitness

[Tis_Bearself]

I recently went to the circus. There were hundreds of kids under age 10 there with their dads. Several of the acts featured female acrobats or aerial performers in spangled 2 piece outfits, spinning around on aerial equipment, doing contortions, turning themselves upside down, leaping from equipment to the ground. Pretty much all the same moves as acrobatic pole dancers do. A couple of them might have even used poles in their routines. I didn’t see any of the dads throwing money at them or stuffing it into their glittery costumes.

 

[on_the_hill]

I
It is good to know that young ( or old) SAHMs have skills that can be used to help with family finances should things he tight.

Or to help pay for medical school.

**

 

[1inICXC]

The pole makes the difference.

Yes, it’s like gymnastics, acrobatics, contortionism etc but it’s on a pole. That’s not just a little detail, that’s the whole point. There is a reason why poles exist in strip clubs. There are certain things that are associated with the pole, specifically. Not everything that takes strength is a sport, though, of course, that part is admirable!

This is the winner of the world’s pole sport championship m.youtube.com/watch?v=lw-kllxaNAI

just fitness?

 

[on_the_hill]

From the outset, “pole dancing” carries a somewhat dissolute connotation because of its provenance.

However, what began with the hoi polloi’s scintillation at the prospect of indulging in something licentious 20 years ago has been mainstreamed and largely ‘stripped’ of the original connotation to the point that it’s a form of acrobatic bodyweight exercise.

If you think of stage show or circus acrobatics with ropes, hoops, slacklines, tightropes, etc., it’s altogether possible that pole dancing got its start among those before it migrated to the seedy side of entertainment.

Taken together, the difference between all of them as legitimate demonstrations of strength and agility and their presentation in a burlesque forum is largely the audience.

 

[on_the_hill]

The pole makes the difference.

Yes, it’s like gymnastics, acrobatics, contortionism etc but it’s on a pole. That’s not just a little detail, that’s the whole point. There is a reason why poles exist in strip clubs. There are certain things that are associated with the pole, specifically. Not everything that takes strength is a sport, though, of course, that part is admirable!

This is the winner of the world’s pole sport championship m.youtube.com/watch?v=lw-kllxaNAI

just fitness?

What I’d like to know is how they can both grip and slide their hands around the pole without ripping their skin to shreds. With gymnasts you can see the chalk, but it doesn’t look like the pole athletes use chalk.

 

[BlueEyedLady]

What I’d like to know is how they can both grip and slide their hands around the pole without ripping their skin to shreds. With gymnasts you can see the chalk, but it doesn’t look like the pole athletes use chalk.

The pole spins! I didn’t know that until I tried it, and I was both relieved to not lose skin, and startled by how fast it went with little force. There are usually bearings at the top you can use to alter the resistance.

Not all spin; the studio I went to had a few stationary poles for people who preferred them, but no one did for the reasons you mention.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

The pole spins! I didn’t know that until I tried it, and I was both relieved to not lose skin, and startled by how fast it went with little force.

I did not know that! You learn something every day on CAF.

 

[BlueEyedLady]

The pole makes the difference.

Yes, it’s like gymnastics, acrobatics, contortionism etc but it’s on a pole. That’s not just a little detail, that’s the whole point. There is a reason why poles exist in strip clubs. There are certain things that are associated with the pole, specifically. Not everything that takes strength is a sport, though, of course, that part is admirable!

This is the winner of the world’s pole sport championship m.youtube.com/watch?v=lw-kllxaNAI

just fitness?

I don’t have time to watch the full thing, but she’s not wearing any less than gymnasts, acrobats, ice skaters, or other dancers. She’s not interacting with or titillating the audience. This is very far removed from a strip club type thing, in both style and intent.

But at the end of the day, your associations with the pole do not mean it’s your place to lecture a married adult woman about her fitness hobbies being “unchaste”. That’s between her and her husband. I think butting in here would rightfully offend them both.

 

[BlueEyedLady]

I did not know that! You learn something every day on CAF.

It hits your core hard, because unless you plan on staying on or close to the ground, you can’t keep pushing off. To keep the pole spinning, you have to hang on and forcefully “throw” your body around. Most of that comes from your abs, obliques, and back.

 

[Bruised_Reed]

Alright, so I see that many of you consider pole dancing as “just a sport”, my question to all men, when you see the women in a two-piece nothing doing the splits around the bar and the whole routine, is that what you are thinking: “cool, what a sport!” ? Probably not any more than the audience watching an Olympic athlete perform her sport topless.

And to all women, would you sign your daughter up for it?
Honestly, if to all men who see pole dancing it’s nothing but a sport, and you’d all be comfortable with having your daughters join a class, I’ll buy it.

It wouldn’t be my first choice for my (non-existent) daughter but I’m kind of a snob and would prefer a strong foundation in ballet from a good school first.

Pole dancing is just another variation like aerial dance or hoop dancing. It’s the twerking and wearing pasties that’s a problem, not the apparatus.

 

[on_the_hill]

The pole spins!

 

[CrystalMayner66]

Vertibar resistance training!

 

[ToeInTheWater]

The pole makes the difference.

Yes, it’s like gymnastics, acrobatics, contortionism etc but it’s on a pole. That’s not just a little detail, that’s the whole point. There is a reason why poles exist in strip clubs. There are certain things that are associated with the pole, specifically. Not everything that takes strength is a sport, though, of course, that part is admirable!

It used to be that ballet dancers used to be considered prostitutes (and some indeed were). Same for actors, and even more the case for actresses, hence why Elizabethan theater had all the roles filled by men.

Obviously neither is the case now. Even belly dancing has become more respectable as a workout.

You may very well disagree that pole dancing has become “gentrified” the way many other formerly scandalous pastimes are now.

But I don’t think there’s anything inherently sinful or scandalous about it. It seems you are assuming this woman is pole dancing out of nefarious motives. Maybe she is, maybe she isn’t. But doesn’t Christian charity require NOT assuming the worst of her motives?

 

[TeenCatholicGuy]

It used to be that ballet dancers used to be considered prostitutes (and some indeed were). Same for actors, and even more the case for actresses, hence why Elizabethan theater had all the roles filled by men.

Obviously neither is the case now. Even belly dancing has become more respectable as a workout.

You may very well disagree that pole dancing has become “gentrified” the way many other formerly scandalous pastimes are now.

But I don’t think there’s anything inherently sinful or scandalous about it. It seems you are assuming this woman is pole dancing out of nefarious motives. Maybe she is, maybe she isn’t. But doesn’t Christian charity require NOT assuming the worst of her motives?

 

[Anglewannabe]

This is the winner of the world’s pole sport championship m.youtube.com/watch?v=lw-kllxaNAI

just fitness?

I watched the video, and if a man is trying to overcome a porn addiction, I could understand him not wanting to watch the video. But with all that said and done, strippers tend to get more ‘wild’ as time goes on. The video showed the same level of activity through out. The performer was not getting any ‘worse’ as time went on. It obviously does take a lot of strenght and agility

Personally, it would not be my first choice of an activity butI do agree with those that say it is no worse than gymastics. Definetly do NOT mention anything to your friend for engaging in the activity, it is none of yoru business

Angie

 

[Horton]

Alright, so I see that many of you consider pole dancing as “just a sport”, my question to all men, when you see the women in a two-piece nothing doing the splits around the bar and the whole routine, is that what you are thinking: “cool, what a sport!” ?

And to all women, would you sign your daughter up for it?
Honestly, if to all men who see pole dancing it’s nothing but a sport, and you’d all be comfortable with having your daughters join a class, I’ll buy it.

You are comparing apples and oranges. Pole dancing in a strip club is meant to arouse men (and/or women) in a sexual way. Pole dancing for fitness has a complete different intent. Using it for fitness in not intended to arouse men. Just because someone uses a pole for fitness doesn’t mean they have to wear a tiny two piece outfit like strippers would wear. I would imagine any type of sports wear would work.

 

[CthgeDelendaEst]

Alright, so I see that many of you consider pole dancing as “just a sport”, my question to all men, when you see the women in a two-piece nothing doing the splits around the bar and the whole routine, is that what you are thinking: “cool, what a sport!” ?

My opinion as a man is I never fail to be surprised at the capacity of the female mind to rationalize.

If it’s a sport, surely there would be no objection to groups of men (not just the significant others) stopping by class to appreciate the artistry? Or offering constructive criticism of the athlete’s form? You have skin tight leotards on that sometimes leave less to the imagination than a g-string, but it’s a sport and not sexual in any way. Lol.

If a married woman wants to do a sexy dance for her husband and takes a class to learn how to do just that, I have zero quarrel with that. But let’s not pretend that the pole isn’t about sex.

 

[UbiCaritas]

My opinion as a man is I never fail to be surprised at the capacity of the female mind to rationalize.

If it’s a sport, surely there would be no objection to groups of men (not just the significant others) stopping by class to appreciate the artistry? Or offering constructive criticism of the athlete’s form? You have skin tight leotards on that sometimes leave less to the imagination than a g-string, but it’s a sport and not sexual in any way. Lol.

If a married woman wants to do a sexy dance for her husband and takes a class to learn how to do just that, I have zero quarrel with that. But let’s not pretend that the pole isn’t about sex.

Well, for one thing, someone might enjoy doing an activity for fitness and/or fun without wanting to be stared at.

I run, for example. Of course people see me out running in the road, and that isn’t a problem. If a guy persistently showed up on my running route to follow me in his car or run next to me in order to watch me, though, I would call the police. Ditto if I’m doing a fitness video workout in my living room and found a guy staring at me through a window. If a woman is performing in a strip club, one can generally assume she wants to be watched, even if, of course, one shouldn’t. A woman engaging in a class? Not so much.

By your standards–i.e., wearing fitted clothes while exercising–a woman is sinning if she swims, does gymnastics, takes a ballet/aerobics class, etc.

(Interestingly, if you read much 19th century literature, you’ll see that classical ballet dancers, actresses, and opera singers were considered to be de facto immodest and impure women. There’s a common trope about how the highest aspiration such a woman could have would be to not marry the good/kind/honorable young man in love with her because if she did, she’d ruin his life.)

 

[BlueEyedLady]

Well, for one thing, someone might enjoy doing an activity for fitness and/or fun without wanting to be stared at.

I run, for example. Of course people see me out running in the road, and that isn’t a problem. If a guy persistently showed up on my running route to follow me in his car or run next to me in order to watch me, though, I would call the police. Ditto if I’m doing a fitness video workout in my living room and found a guy staring at me through a window. If a woman is performing in a strip club, one can generally assume she wants to be watched, even if, of course, one shouldn’t. A woman engaging in a class? Not so much.

By your standards–i.e., wearing fitted clothes while exercising–a woman is sinning if she swims, does gymnastics, takes a ballet/aerobics class, etc.

(Interestingly, if you read much 19th century literature, you’ll see that classical ballet dancers, actresses, and opera singers were considered to be de facto immodest and impure women. There’s a common trope about how the highest aspiration such a woman could have would be to not marry the good/kind/honorable young man in love with her because if she did, she’d ruin his life.)

No kidding. The behavior he’s describing would be no less appalling at a yoga class or ballet lesson than at pole fitness.

 

[twf]

I don’t get the fitness aspect. Back in my sinful youth I seem to recall most strippers on a pole as chain smoking, boozing, rough types. Not very athletic…

Perhaps things have changed. Or perhaps it depends where you go. Regretfully, I have been to such establishments twice in my life…and in at least one case, the degree of fitness and physical elegance displayed was truly remarkable…true athletes.