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Is this secret helping us?
I was watching TED talk and one video led to another and I had a thought and now I'm sharing it with you. What will happen if we were brave enough to share that we pole dance with people at the office, friends, family, etc etc? Check out this 3 minute video on TED talk
http://www.ted.com/talks/derek_sivers_how_to_start_a_movement.html
We found out and then tried pole class doing the same thing that this presenter describes in his talk.
For past few weeks I have come across so many things about pole in different ways – positive and negative talks or discussions. What will happen if we took our movement to the next level? This is what happened with yoga. Men didn't share that they practiced yoga, but now, it's different. Now you see athletes talking about benefits of yoga without being judged. How does Pole get there? It's changing for us polers but is it changing at the rate we LIKE or WANT?
I come here to share my thoughts as I find this community to be so accepting, loving, kind and understanding. So thanks for that and let's discuss this. Maybe we can come up with some great idea to bring about CHANGE that we WANT…
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8 Replies
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One more thing.
Veena, thank you for this platform. Thank you for building this community. Thank you for helping us. Thank you for being so generous.
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I have recently "come out" with co-workers and friends that I pole dance. I have nothing to hide and I find that most people are very interested and those who make jokes are usually just ignorant and make themselves look stupid. I just don't give a shit anymore. I love it and I'm very secure with doing something I love. I now find myself even talking to strangers who ask me about it- they notice my studio's Pole t-shirt that I wear. so many women want to try it and find the courage to try it when they meet someone else who does it and is open about it. We're not doing anything wrong that we should be secretive about. I want to make a shirt that says: I pole. And I dont give a shit!
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That's so great robinb….
I have only done that among my friends and few people at work but I sometimes still think about it before "coming out". One day it will all be thing of the past.
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Love the TED video and it's message. Very thought provoking. Also love the idea of a T-shirt that says I pole, and I don't give a shit.
I've only been poling for about 5 months and I have told a lot of people. Some of my coworkers jumped right on board and came to class with me. I told my 73-year-old parents (I'm 44) and they asked about it a little and didn't say much else, which I thought was a pretty good outcome because I wasn't sure what they would think. I told old college friends (almost all male) and they acted like typical ignorant boys–as if I had started stripping at 44–probably wouldn't be very lucrative at this age. I told my hairdresser, and I make my coworkers watch videos of my new tricks. I wish I got better reactions from some people but I figure I never will if I don't keep talking about it. I guess I don't give a shit either. If the people I tell don't know me well enough to ask questions or realize that poling doesn't equal prostitution, then to hell with 'em.
🙂
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While I very much agree with the Ted talk, and I think that keeping things a secret is really detrimental, I have to say that I don't believe that shoving our pole dancing into other people's faces is the right way to go.
Wearing T-shirts, declaring our love for pole dancing to anyone and everyone, and forcing people to accept it is NOT the way to make it seem natural and normal. Allowing it to grow, organically, the way it is doing now is the best way for people to accept it.
Yoga didn't spring up because people wore shirts that said "I do yoga and I don't care," and nor did it come up because people pushed it to be in the olympics, or because they had to force it into the eyes of society. It grew organically, as people became brave and talked about it, and as people became more and more aware of it, tried it, and enjoyed it.
Change is not something we can push upon any society, as people are generally resistant to it. The more we push, the more resistant many people become to the change. And yes, some people are going to hang on to those old issues, and some are going to drop them like a poisonous snake and get right on board. Most will be in the middle.
I think that the movement has already began, and we're in the middle stage- gathering people, but not quite enough have joined for us to be quite "mainstream" yet. It's coming, but it takes patience and perseverance. As in, it takes us being steady and doing what we love to do- dancing! -
I thought the t-shirt was funny. no, I don't see it as a solution. also, I don't force pole dancing on anyone but when someone asks me- what did you do this weekend? Imight tell them I did a showcase or a class. I guess I'm not trying to change the world's opinion. maybe that's the difference. I just do what I enjoy and accept that not everyone likes it. but I'm not gonna hang my head in shame because I'm not doing anything wrong. when I left my studio the other day I was wearing my studio's t-shirt. I went into the pet store to buy dog food and that's when a woman was asking me about the studio. she was genuinely interested and excited. I might see her in class. I don't consider that to be forcing my opinions on someone. No , you can not force change upon society but when I am brave and confident in my own skin it makes the idea not so intimidating to others. Hiding and being secretive makes pole seem like it is something worthy of hiding. Yes, I agree there is a time and a place to talk about these things just like with any other subject. Common sense is always applicable. Don't push change. Be yourself and be okay with it or don't. That's everyones individual journey. Yoga has been around for about 5,000 years.
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Ditto what RobinB said. I'm not pushing it on anyone either but I don't hide it. When I said I make my coworkers watch my videos–it's the coworkers who have gone to class with me or who ask me if I've learned any new tricks.
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We’ve never encourage our members to hide their pole dancing! I myself often posted about the importance of sharing, in order to remove the “stigma”. Yet I fully respect those who feel they don’t need to share. There is a time and place for everything.
Ever since we started this website we’ve encouraged others to share if they can! 💜
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