Bugger 'empowerment'. I like it!

[roadkillgerbil]

I've just been informed that the charity my poledance school is associated with (and have raised over £4000 for) has received an email urging them to cut all ties with us, basically because pole dance is the commercialisation of women's bodies. The email also quoted this article Read more... )

Comments

[writerdahling]

I've never seen pole dance (except for what passes in those cheesy films where the cops walk into an exotic dance club and the women are leaning against poles, which I don't think counts). I would have to say, however, that it is like many other dances in that it does show off the sexuality of the people doing them - men and woman. Many would say that all of modern dance, and perhaps more, is about sex. So what are your detractors on! For goodness sake.

I don't want to make a point.

[kimkali]

The liberation of women will include this awkward period of adjustment (a work in progress for several thousand years, especially the last 100, more so the last 50 & particularly the last 10). Stripping & prostitution were rather too close to the slave trade, with few women wanting (by any stretch of the word) to join those industries, & the customers were men, the managers were men, & the point (ahem) was male satisfaction

[almosthonest]

I agree with - and indeed am not awake enough to meaningful discourse upon - the points roadkillgerbil makes. But I also want to quickly shoot down one of the most stupid points that article author makes.

A reason men largely don't pole-dance is purely biological. About half the moves I've seen would be plausible - and the other half would be f*cking agonising. Crippling, in fact. There would be a "popping" sound. This dance form was not designed for the male form.

[almosthonest]

Quick one to the first part of your comment: the Cambridge debating union appears to function as a social club/secondary "student union" as well as it's main debating function: their events page: http://www.cus.org/events/ - shows snooker and Pilates and wine tasting as well. I think in that context, the pole-dancing lessons are just another event being laid on by a club facility. (But the famous name of the club appears to make it controversial.)

[almosthonest]

P.S. Thank you for linking me to Penny Red. I've learned so much in the last two hours, my only wish is that I was being paid for it... :-)

[roadkillgerbil]

~preens~ I'm glad you did come back to it

[lunarkittenlj]

But it's a powerful, female sexuality, and for me, that's where the empowerment comes in

With poledancing the woman at the pole is definitely the one with the upper hand. The guys watching her are literally at her feet (or thereabouts) and they have turned up to watch her, not the other way around. So I'd love to know just how they say this "degrades and disempowers girls and women" when it's quite obviously backwards.