I've jumped in.
There are so many things that hold women back from doing, saying, and wearing things they enjoy simply because the backlash that will follow is too much to handle. The same can even be said for me. There are things one grows up hearing and seeing that makes us feel as though certain activities and idea's are untouchable.
As of last weekend I signed up for, and thoroughly enjoyed, my first pole fitness and acrobatics class.
I went into it completely tense and scared.
There is a stigma even around the word "pole" alone, let alone when you add "dance" or even replace it with "fitness". I found myself googling moves, and videos, and found that the stigma is even present within this exotic new world i'm in as some dancers shun strippers all together and that in competition (yes they compete) strippers are barred from entering. Besides this, videos focused on power and technique, not being sexy. Most women who do it actually see and treat it as a sport...
I'm lucky enough to have found a studio that doesn't shun other women so harshly, rather, they are there to teach and you can do with you skill what you will.
Now, I hope I don't need to defend myself. But I will anyway because I'm not one for people making assumptions. I don't plan on running off and spending every night in some club. But I do plan on sticking to this and getting good at it. I might even move onto the elevated hoops or drapes. I felt amazing afterward, powerful, and confident.
I felt like I did when I cheered and having my flexibility back is fully welcomed.
That stuff's not easy either. A Sunday morning class left me sore up until basically today and I'm ready for tomorrow's class with more confidence than I had before.
As a matter of fact, I'm ready for more things ahead of me. I'm ready to be more confident in exposing myself mentally and loving my body on another level.
Don't bash something until you try it or attempt to understand it.
Here's a fun little site, Pole Dancing Adventures, that puts the world of pole dancing into comic form. Hopefully it'll lighten your outlook.