Why Pole Dancing?

It was summer of 2007, the year that one of the most ubiquitous lifestyle pieces covered in major media outlets was the emergence of a very interesting fitness phenomenon - pole dancing for everyone! I was preparing to go into my second year of my master's program in psychology and was working with a preeminent sex therapist. Not convinced that becoming a clinician was the route for me I was looking for a sexuality topic to create a research program around.

The coverage of recreational pole dance class in the media was highly visual and the sight of regular women working the pole seemed to intrigue, titillate and entertain the general public. The women taking pole dance classes testify benefits that range from strictly physical (i.e. great workout) to psychological (i.e. building of self-esteem) to the sensual (i.e. releasing one's inner sexpot). This phenomenon continues to grow with studios opening up across the US as well as in the UK, Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia etc. This trend of democratizing the stripper pole has extended it self from the recreational realm to the competitive. Pole dancing has become a competitive sport - just last month a pole dance competition was held at the Highline Ballroom on the west side of Manhattan and such events are also held internationally.

As a good little grad student interested in sexuality I felt like this phenomenon deserved some academic inquiry. As a belly dancer I understood the pleasure of moving one's body in a sensual way for fun and for profit. I was curious what it was about pole dancing that captured the imaginations of women, apparently, across the globe? What does the popularity of this movement say about sex, sensuality and body image in the current cultural climate? The process of inquiry has been as interesting, and perhaps arguably more so, than my results.

Technorati Tags: Lifestyle Body Image