A recent article has ignited another fire storm surrounding pole dancing. I will post the article, some Facebook comments, then I will give you my two cents.
Outrage as girls as young as SEVEN are given pole dancing lessons - and pictures are posted on gym's Facebook page
Last updated at 7:51 PM on 26th July 2011
Girls as young as seven are being offered pole dancing lessons at a gym - and pictures of their moves have been posted on Facebook.
Parents and councillors have raised concerned for the safety of the girls after JLN Pole Fitness in Bolton, Greater Manchester, put the images online.
The instructor at the dance studio said the classes are fun, good exercise and do not teach their children anything erotic.
Kate Eaton, 33, from Harwood, takes her daughter Jen to the classes. She said: 'Jen had her seventh birthday party there with her friends. She loves it.
'I do not have a problem with it at all. It is nothing to do with lap dancing, it is gymnastics. It is not in the slightest bit sexual.
'I have put pictures of her on Facebook because she wants people to see what she can do. We wear short shorts and vest tops so we can grip the pole and they are not performing in front of anyone.
'If she was doing gymnastics in a leotard or at a swimming gala in a costume, anyone could be watching and people don't complain about that.'
Jess Leanne Norris, 18, who runs the classes, said: 'What I teach is pole fitness, nothing else. I have never received any complaints.
'There is nothing at all rude going on at JLN. I have had nothing but support, it is an art. We only put pictures on Facebook with parents' consent. It is nothing inappropriate.'
Concerns have been raised about the nature of the photographs being posted online.
Cllr Nick Peel, Executive Member for Children's Services, said: 'In general, parents and organisations need to be careful about publishing photos of children on the internet. It is unsafe and people trawl the internet looking for things like this.
'On the one hand, I don't want to jump to conclusions, but on the other, it is a dangerous world on the internet when it comes to children and people need to be aware of the situation they can be putting children into quite innocently.'
One mother, who asked not to be named, said: 'This concerns me greatly as I would not want my 13-year-old wandering round in hotpants and hanging upside down.
'They advertise as being aerobics/gymnastics with a pole but if you see the pictures, you will see this is not the case. These pictures are also being posted across Facebook and this just invites child grooming.'
A dance teacher, who also wished to remain anonymous, added: 'I think there has got to be a line that should not be crossed with children.
'Children want to do it and some parents will let them do it, but it could damage their developing bodies and that might not show now.'
I have a pole at the house and a 4 yr old - I have no problem with her playing with it or learning stuff .... however, I would NOT be posting pictures of her on the internet
ReplyDelete~ sam
I do not see the problem with it. To many people being prudes in a society that clearly has no respect for its personal freedoms. Pedophiles get off on ANY picture of little kids. No one is going to hide photos of their children just because of Paranoia. I say let them enjoy Pole Fitness. There's nothing wrong with it, and its not going to make little girls become 'Strippers'. If girls can enjoy Gymnastics then they can physically be healthy and develop normally while learning Aerial Arts...Because yes that's what Pole is, an Aerial art, the same as Silks, Lyra, and many other arts. If you would for a minute think of it as training for say Cirque? Would you mind it so very much? It is a sport unfairly stigmatized due to 'Stripping'. There is nothing wrong with Exotic Dancing. It would be so very wrong to start any kind of sexual repression or Sexual Prohibition. So lets not start a Witch hunt where there need not be one.
ReplyDeleteWell said. :-)
ReplyDeleteThere are people who put their 2 year olds in full makeup, dye their hair, wax them, put them in high heels, etc to prance around at pageants... but it's not okay for them to do what is essentially gymnastics on a pole in a closed environment? The "sexiness" factor is something that can be added to almost anything if you put your mind to it.. It is just society that deems poles bad because of strippers. So I guess if strippers start dancing on other things, like idk, square boxes...? Are those going to be considered obscene as well in a few years? What makes a pole inappropriate is what is being done on it, just like pretty much anything else. I guess these people don't let their kids sleep in beds since people do MUCH worse things on those, lol...
ReplyDeleteVery true!!! :-)
ReplyDeleteMy son has been doing pole since he was born, he is now seven. He has no sexual ideas of pole....most of the time he is just annoyed that I am spending time at my studio. He is a great climber, and trickster! My daughter, who is two can hold herself on the pole-pretty impressive... she loves it that people think she is amazing but what kid doesn't love that? Since I own PoleMoves and do certifications internationally, I get to see what innovative studio owners do around the world! There are classes, like TadPoles...in Colorado and Pole Monkeys in Naperville. This is all just wonderful and expected. Pole doesn't have to be sexual...it can be, and that is fine. But it has great depth to include everyone...just like yoga (yoga can be very spiritual or it can be very athletic). It is all good!
ReplyDeleteI think that is awesome. I also believe that, as this generation grows up watching their moms pole dance, the stigma will lessen. :) I won a certification gift certificate from you. I have to get on your website and figure out when I can come visit LA. :-D
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