A bruising experience- literally

Pole dancing is now promoted as a legitimate form of exercise, and dance, but is it really just about keeping fit?

When I first told my friends I had taken up pole-dancing classes - all in the name of fitness - I expected, apart from a few raised eyebrows, general cheers of encouragement.

Instead I was given a three-hour lecture on why I was "perpetuating the culture of pornography that we live in". Perhaps it was optimistic of me - most of my friends are feminists.

Despite my protestations that this was purely about toning up and doing a bit of acrobatics in a fun, supportive environment, it did start me thinking.

Are classes like these - now booming in popularity - really breaking ties with their historical stereotype, or are they only serving to further the image of women as sex objects?

Degrading

For me, it was the lure of doing something acrobatic and a bit different that drew me in to the classes. And when I joined I found a group of like-minded girls.

Annis Kooshesh, a 27-year-old HR coordinator, and Brigitta Busak, a 31-year-old graphic designer, both say they take the classes to get fit.

"I took the class mainly for a fun way to build up my upper body strength, boost my confidence levels and also to make myself feel sexier," says Brigitta.

And although many may not believe it, the classes are tough. They're more awkward than sexy, requiring solid concentration and a lot of strength.

It requires 'a lot of strength'

But despite my good intentions I was still selective about who I told - and rightly so. Most of the male reaction I got was "so when do I get a show?" I had to confess, it wasn't like telling people I'd taken up tennis. But should it be?

Simon Hinks, deputy director of sport at the Bristol Centre for Sport, Exercise and Health says while pole dancing is not a traditional form of exercise, it's still something that strengthens most of the muscle groups.

"We don't see it as a sport but we do see it as a valid form of exercise," he says.

But he adds: "I don't think you can do pole dancing as your only fitness. It could form a small part of an overall exercise programme."

Alison Hudd, the 28-year-old owner of Pole People - a London based pole-dancing school - sees pole dancing as "an art form in its own right".

"I've always loved ballet and other forms of dance. When I first saw pole dancing I realised what a beautiful art form it is and it's a really fun way to get fit.

"When I set up Pole People the main point was to provide a space to learn to dance, free of the context of what it had been known as."

Art form

But feminist Sheila Jeffries, author of Beauty and Misogyny: Harmful Cultural Practices in the West, says this new dance craze has nothing to do with fitness. She sees it as degrading to women and an excuse to allow pornography into the mainstream.

"Often when pornography is normalised it comes in the form of art," she says. "The same has happened with burlesque. We are now in what I call the 'pornographication' of culture."

She says women are being told that "correct exercise" is something that has its roots in prostitution.

I don't think the feminist cause has reached its end but I don't think denying ourselves the fun of pole dancing is going to help   Alison Hudd Pole People

"Pole dancing is perpetuating a culture of prostitution. It's not actually prostitution because they're in a class but it's the codes of prostitution and practice that they are engaged in."

Ms Jeffries says over the last two decades the divide between music, fashion and pornography has been broken down, to the point where the "codes of pornography are now in".

"How have we come to this, where a vicious industry that does something so horrible to women and girls has become so normalised? It's desperate. What it shows is that women are far from being equal."

It's a tough argument. Are we really letting the female side down this strongly? Ms Hudd doesn't think so.

Fake

"We are teaching it as a form of dance, not as a way to please men," she says. "The consideration I made when I set up the course was that it was a way of people dancing and expressing themselves.

"I don't see why a woman dancing in a more sensual way has to be something that's wrong. Why can't it be something to celebrate? I would love to take these feminists to a class and ask them if it's perpetuating prostitution."

But what do men think of all this?

Peter Howarth, former editor of Esquire, where he was famed for taking women off the front cover, says pole dancing could be perceived as a step forward for women in terms of allowing them to be more open about their sexuality.

Pole-dancing clubs are big business

He says it falls in line with the "Sex and the City phenomenon" and women who have taken sex retail out of the hands of the "dirty male brigade and out into the open".

"It kind of makes sex less scary and less taboo and possibly you could argue pole dancing is similar and you could see that as being positive," he says.

But Steve Beale, editor-at-large of Arena magazine, says we are "in a culture in which everybody is told to love sex", that pressures people to follow the trend rather than be honest about what they enjoy.

"Personally, I think girls are buying into [pole dancing] because it's trendy," he says. "We call them 'fake dirty' - it's a big men's saying because there are so many of these girls [doing pole dancing] who are not actually very sexual. There's something very cold about that.

Shallow

"It's disingenuous in that the same person that goes to a class would turn their noses up at a pole dancing club. It's very shallow."

But Ms Hudd says it's "frustrating" when others criticise something that is boosting people's fitness and confidence.

"I don't think the feminist cause has reached its end but I don't think denying ourselves the fun of pole dancing is going to help," she says.

At the end of the day, I'm feeling stronger and proud of the tricks I can do, despite the bruises, although I can't say my conscience is completely at ease.

But for the moment I've convinced myself that this is perfect training for my next challenge - trapeze.

I can empathise with the woman who says that she took pole dancing classes to make herself feel sexier (amongst other reasons). But that in itself is slightly worrying to me; why is it that "feeling sexier" should result from an activity designed to titillate men? And, why should this lead to a boost in confidence levels?!
Sarah, Sheffield

Surely the point of feminism (for me) was to allow and empower women to do what they want, when they want - regardless of what men think. I've done a pole dancing class and there was nothing sexy about me landing in a heap on the floor! As an exercise class it's great fun and very difficult.
Carolyn Mitchell, Manchester

Just another sign of the degradation of society. Any woman desperate enough to argue that pole dancing improves their confidence and fitness, needs to urgently address why they are so unfit and unhappy to turn to a practice commonly regarded as smutty. A young male, im far from the grumpy old man era, all i see and recognise here are women needing reassurance in a culture perpetuating vanity.
Christopher , Oxford

On what basis do feminists decide whether something is degrading or not? Surely, it all depends on whether the person in question feels degraded by the activity she or he performs?
Jonathan Davies, London, UK

I'm sure I read somewhere that we lived in a society of choice and freedom...? How can this be seen to be exploiting women when women choose to go to the class? Are the classes watched by men sitting in tables and giving money to the women dancing? Erm .. no! People who say it's exploitation really need to get a life and focus on more important things that really ARE exploiting women across the world. Pole Dancing classes don't fall into that category.
Sian Healy, Fleet

Steve Beale's opinion that it is disingenuous for someone to go to a lesson but who turn their nose up at a pole dancing club is not clearly thought out. I would love to go to a lesson, but also think that 'attached' men who go to pole dancing clubs are being unfaithful by watching other women in that environment. The difference for me is that going to a lesson is not a sexual experience, whereas the men who go to pole dancing clubs invariably are going for the sexual aspect of the dance.
Alice Spencer, Northampton, UK

Yes, pole dancing is exploitative. ...but only of the men who part with their cash for it.
Ben, London

It's amazing to see how women are allowing men to use them as sexual objects thinking that they are attaining freedom. I can see very clearly that women are getting exploited everywhere in this world- in boardrooms, in sports, in films, in fashion industry, in porn industry, so on and so forth. Yet, women continue to "offer" themselves to men for bringing their nefarious designs to reality without even realizing that they are being degraded and exploited.
Naveen, Bangalore, India

A fairly typical feminist over-reaction from Sheila Jeffries. They see everything as exploitative. Pole dancing is incredibly physically demanding, and requires huge acrobatic ability - just as much as the horizontal bar and parallel bars. Somehow, just because the vertical bar is called a "pole" it becomes pornographic? I think not! There's absolutely no reason I can think of to prevent it becoming an olympic event - maybe in 2012?
John, Nottingham, UK

Another dance that has it's roots in prostitution, the exploitation of women and so on is the Argentine Tango. It is also sublimely beautiful, and Tangueros are not prostitutes. Times change. Perhaps the best way to stop pole-dancing being about exploitation is to bring it into the mainstream as an art form. And, if you don't like, don't do it, but let others decide for themselves.
JS, London UK