Spring Break
Pole dancing: the new sexy workout
Alessandra Frausin, Contributing Writer, afrausin@smu.edu
Issue date: 5/2/08 Section: News
The new women watch Lynn, intimidated.
"You will be bruised, you will be sore, but it's a fun workout," Drenn said. Fifteen minutes into the class, one of the girls hurts her foot and is bleeding.
In the first half of the class, the women spin around the pole trying to learn a few tricks. Lynn calls their attention and explains the importance of attitude while showing the women different walks to get to the pole.
The first walk, the "drag walk," as she calls it, is a sensual slow walk. The second and the third, respectively the "Heidi Klum" walk and the "Burlesque" walk are faster but just as sensual.
The women line up at the end of the room and start walking up and down, imitating Lynn. All of them are smiling and laughing, clearly finding their own imitation of the walk quite amusing.
There is no tension and no pressure to be the best. The only requirement is to have a good time. One of the women taking the class, Samantha, tells me she picked pole dancing after "watching a video of 'The Girls Next Door' in which they were learning how to pole dance." The popular show is about Hugh Hefner's three girlfriends and their lives at the Playboy mansion. Following the their example, Samantha, who in her everyday life is a student who loves the energy and sensuality pole dancing evokes.
Lynn's goal is not to train professional pole dancers. "In essence the confidence and boosting of the girls' self-esteem and self-awareness will make them able to choose the right profession or present themselves in a more confident manner in whatever profession they choose," she says in an e-mail interview.
The women all agree that this workout is still considered taboo. Some asked not to have pictures taken of them. However, there is no judgment inside The Girls Room. "It is a safe place to express your inner diva," Lynn said.
"You will be bruised, you will be sore, but it's a fun workout," Drenn said. Fifteen minutes into the class, one of the girls hurts her foot and is bleeding.
In the first half of the class, the women spin around the pole trying to learn a few tricks. Lynn calls their attention and explains the importance of attitude while showing the women different walks to get to the pole.
The first walk, the "drag walk," as she calls it, is a sensual slow walk. The second and the third, respectively the "Heidi Klum" walk and the "Burlesque" walk are faster but just as sensual.
The women line up at the end of the room and start walking up and down, imitating Lynn. All of them are smiling and laughing, clearly finding their own imitation of the walk quite amusing.
There is no tension and no pressure to be the best. The only requirement is to have a good time. One of the women taking the class, Samantha, tells me she picked pole dancing after "watching a video of 'The Girls Next Door' in which they were learning how to pole dance." The popular show is about Hugh Hefner's three girlfriends and their lives at the Playboy mansion. Following the their example, Samantha, who in her everyday life is a student who loves the energy and sensuality pole dancing evokes.
Lynn's goal is not to train professional pole dancers. "In essence the confidence and boosting of the girls' self-esteem and self-awareness will make them able to choose the right profession or present themselves in a more confident manner in whatever profession they choose," she says in an e-mail interview.
The women all agree that this workout is still considered taboo. Some asked not to have pictures taken of them. However, there is no judgment inside The Girls Room. "It is a safe place to express your inner diva," Lynn said.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 3
Ultrafemme
posted 5/02/08 @ 11:35 AM CST
Why does pretending to be a sex worker tend to boost the self esteem of upper and middle class white women?
Just because you learn to pole dance doesn't mean that your husband will stop going to strip clubs or stop seeing other women. (Continued…)
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