Should pole-dancing be approved as an Olympic sport? According to the Collette Kakuk, founder of the Pole Dancing Association, yes. She believes pole-dancing should not be marginalized or shamed, but brought into the light as a difficult, healthy and competitive activity that makes you fit.
I guess my question would be, would making pole-dancing an Olympic sport bring to light some of the horrible treatment of exotic dancers and give them a standard wage with some worker rights? Most of the participants in the PDA appear to be white and as the article discusses as a sport, pole-dancing generally attracts middle to upper middle class housewives.
But this is interesting. Thoughts?
(Thanks to Daffodil for the link.)
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I don't have any doubt that pole-dancing is difficult and can be quite a workout. That said, I'm uncomfortable with conflating the concepts of "women's sport" and "something women do while scantily clad for the enjoyment of male onlookers" any more than they already are.
You mean like beach volleyball? Oy.
is it not the choice of the women to wear those clothes. the sport started out on the beach and reflects that culture. when it became a formal sport it maintained the attire
They have pole dancing in the olympics. It is called gymnastics. (Albeit, the pole is horizontal in gymnastics and not vertical.) Gymnastics requires a great amount of athleticism, flexibility and coordination.
Also, I believe one of the root words of gymnasitcs means "naked" because they used to exercise in the nude. Fitting for an analogous excercise to pole dancing, no?
I think the difference lies in the amount of difficulty. If there were some sort of release moves to do on the pole or maybe if there were two poles next to each other and they flipped back and forth (chinese pole) but what you're talking about is essentially locking, spinning and posing.
Breakdance should be an Olympic sport before pole dance.
I responded to your comment below. But I'll say it again here. When I said pole dancing already exists in the Olympics, I meant that the elements that make up pole dancing (strength, flexibility, grace, style) are already in gymnasitcs. To me, pole dancing is the male gaze version of a respected, difficult, real sport (gymnastics).
Which is why it should not be included (or even recognized) in the Olympics.
Just so long as they keep the high heels inthe uniforms b/c otherwise we won't be able to tell them apart from the beach volleyball players.
Take out baseball and introduce pole dancing? Looks like America's got a new pastime!
What difference does it make that most of the pole dancers are white? I'm sure there's a point to be made here, but I'm just a bit unsure what it is, according to the original post.
Not so sure about the white thing, but as for the demographic that participates (middle to upperclass housewives), in my opinion it is too small to be recognized by the IOC.
From wikipedia (i know, i know, great source of information and all):
"A sport or discipline is included in the Olympic program if the IOC determines that it is widely practiced around the world, that is, the number of countries that compete in a given sport is the indicator of the sport's prevalence."
I don't think pole dancing qualifies.
Well, I think "white middle class women" is a contrast to the demographic that is generally engaging in exotic dancing. It was a quick hit so I didn't spell out every point.
the difference is that until upper middle class white women took up pole dancing as a hobby, pole dancing was widely reviled (i can think of plenty of epithets for ppl who earn money dancing next to a pole). Once this specific demographic took it up, that was somehow an oversight and NEWSFLASH now it needs to be well regarded and as respected as any other physically challenging discipline.
It could be a comment about racial & class issues - it's only OK if white people do it, or something.
I am possibly the only South Asian in town doing burlesque (there's possibly a few strippers but I don't really know). It's more a cultural thing - many of the non-White people (or CALD) here in Brisbane are migrants or migrant-offspring (I moved from Malaysia 3 years ago) and they wouldn't even know it *existed*. It's already hard enough to get taken seriously to do arts!
Also pole-dance is seen as sex work, which is something a lot of traditional Asian cultures frown on. My parents seem to think I'm going to be a high-class escort because I do burlesque! The notion that it could be anything other than prostitution is not even considered, or ever available to them to see. You'll have to look outside your usual viewpoint to even see the possibility.
check this out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6kE7RlqQRI
how can I take that seriously when she's dressed like a porn star? If she was wearing tennis shoes and sporty clothes, then I'll be able to watch that without feeling dirty.
dressed like a porn star? um... not really. the shoes are completely the opposite of athletic, of course, but the rest of her outfit? yeah, it's black, and black is sexy, but that aside... it looks like a sports bra and "runderwear" to me... which is about what I used to wear for cross-country races and track meets. Many female Olympic marathoners dress about the same way. It's about functionality, not sexuality.
but yeah, i agree that pole dancing is probably not Olympic material, although I'm sure it takes a lot of athleticism.
yes, she's dressed like a porn star.
So? What difference does it make how she's dressed like? Why degrade into "she dressed for it so she asked for it" territory?
Also, what if she *is* a porn star, or was? What if she wasn't? Does that make a difference into whether she should be taken seriously or not?
You are right that her top and bottom are similar to what many female athletes wear in competition. But saying "It's about functionality, not sexuality." just seems hard to take seriously in a video with a woman wearing ginormo, absolutely ridiculous heels to perform an athletic activity.
dude... i SAID that her shoes are completely the opposite of athletic. i was talking about the rest of her clothing.
I was just going to say that 5-inch stilettos don't scream "athlete" to me.
Ever danced in heels?
Hell yes, it's athletic.
Watch your slut shaming.
I am surprised that anyone on here would denigrate the activity based on the clothing of the women. Too often in our society women are belittled, taken less seriously, and/or have said to been asking for it when they wear clothes that are seen as revealing. I hate to see the same phenomenon of judging a woman negatively by her appearance and sexual expression occur on this site.
As for the scant amount of clothing she is wearing, there is a practical reason for doing that. There is enough friction between your skin and the pole to hang on, but fabric does not offer enough friction which can cause you to slip and possibly injure yourself.
As for the shoes, I am not a fan of them either, but I can recognize that my opinion on the shoes has nothing to do with the activity of pole dancing. There are plenty of videos on YouTube where the pole dancing women don't wear any shoes at all.
Thank you. Yes, so much WORD.
Clothing is developed for sports to optimize the performance of athletes . . . clearly that is not the case here, showing exactly what this "sport" entails.
No, there is a reason for pole dancers to wear what's essentially a sports bra and shorts. The more skin you have, the better and easier it is for you to hang on to the pole. Cloth gets in the way.
Wow. Watching that I have to say that...that's not what I think when I think pole dancing. It was much more awesome.
It was graceful, clearly required athleticism, and, I think, was not overtly sexual and titillating. All I was thinking was "Damn, that's cool, but not very 'hot'." Clearly, if she was topless or in a G-string or whatever, perhaps it would seem more like my mental-image (admittedly stereotypical) of stripping, but since some still can't see around the shoes to the obvious talent... maybe toned-down pole dancing garb is a good step towards more legitimate recognition, if not as a sport, at least as a cool thing that's tough to do.
Not that there is a chance in hell of this happening, but there are plenty of sports played in many countries with established rules, judging, and organized leagues that aren't included in the Olympic games. And as far as removing stigma/improving wages, anyone who watched any summer Olympic coverage knows it would be an excuse to add to the T&A beach volleyball currently provides (This is not a criticism of beach volleyball or the athletes who play it, but of the television coverage and mandatory uniforms). There's a whole myriad of reasons why this is a bad idea, but here's another: Why add another sport that women in many countries will not be allowed to participate in?
If you want a sport that involves moving and supporting bodyweight in various positions, but don't want the speed of gymnastics or rhythmic gymnastics, why not something like acrobalance?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LveFsLrYHhk (the first half)
You still get the women in skimpy clothes, but the men get all skimpy too (But oh noez, the menz will never watch that because they'll catch the gay!). Like a lot of acrobatics/gymnastics/bodyweight sports, this is MUCH more advanced than the techniques used in pole-dancing. Plus they skip the ridiculous shoes. On a side note, it's now become my life goal to use my thighs to pick a man up by the head.
I do both acrobalance and the occasional pole (just a couple of lessons) - they complement each other. Different skills, but they help each other. And pole can get VERY advanced - it takes serious strength to hang onto a pole with your belly while you're meters high!
As President of the 'Greater Austin Sitting On Your Ass And Watching The Venture Brothers Season 3 DVD Association,' I demand that that long thing I just typed also become an Olympic sport.
It's pretty telling that stripping be considered (even if not officially) but that female ski jumpers STILL cannot compete. Maybe they should try jumping in lingerie?
There is a difference between pole dancing and stripping. They are not the same thing. One can use pole dancing as part of a stripping routine, but you don't have to strip to pole dance.
Good point. My bad.
I don't see the skill in that. It took me about a week to learn to do the types of things they insist are so difficult. Once you learn a few leg locks and how to keep a spin, everything else is pretty easy.
I finally gave in and did it because I figured if I was going to say it looked easy and women don't really need to pay to learn to do it I might as well see if it really was, and it was.
What makes it look complicated is the back and hip flexibility that some of these women have, but to compare it to artistic or rhythmic gymnastics is insulting.
I also don't believe ping pong should be an olympic sport, but it is.
Trampoline is much more interesting and difficult.
When I said pole dancing already exists in the Olympics, I meant that the elements that make up pole dancing (strength, flexibility, grace, style) are already in gymnasitcs. To me, pole dancing is the male gaze version of a respected, real sport (gymnastics).
I understood what you meant.
I just don't think the comparison is quite right.
Why shouldn't Ping Pong be an Olympic sport?
Have you done advanced pole? The stuff that involves using everything but your hands and legs to hang onto the pole? It's hard, it takes dedication. No need to denigrate it just because it's too populist and not elite enough. (I'm seeing a major high-class/low-class thing happening here.)
I have no problem with it as long as men have to compete in the event as well.
Perhaps the former Olympic baseball teams?
Once again, people wonder why nobody takes women's sports again.
What a goddamned bloody joke.
*why nobody takes women sports seriously.
my bad for the typo.
Comments like these do absolutely nothing to help women be taken seriously. There's no need to join in the slut-shaming and denigration of women who choose to incorporate their sexuality in physically artistic ways.
Twisty tore this a new asshole:
http://blog.iblamethepatriarchy.com/2009/03/06/pole-dancer-goes-for-the-gold/
Wow. The misogyny, privilege, classism, racism, and slut-shaming in the comments are overwhelming.
Women's sports are already seen as only worth watching if the women are hot and barely clothed (Lingerie Football, anyone?) Let's not make it worse by adding an activity that most men and women only see as something they observe to be titillated. If there were a way to get people to appreciate the athletic ability needed to pole dance, sure. But most people already undermine the athletic ability of women who play sports that we see as athletically challenging when men play them, so I don't see that happening.
No it shouldn't be an olympic sport. If you need a pole in the olympics there is javelin and gymnastics. Please give me a break!
Seeing as how ballet, salsa, bellydancing, tap, hip-hop, jazz, and countless other incredibly endurance-based types of dancing aren't in the Olympics, I really don't see how pole dancing deserves a place.
I'm just going to flat out say, there is no way this will ever make it onto the lineup of the Olympics. Ever.
Aside from the similarity to Rhythmic Gymnastics, Gymnastics and a few other events, there just isn't the international support structure in place. For anything to even be considered for the Olympic Games you have to have well-established international associations operating under standardized rules in many, many countries. It takes a TON of work to make this stuff happen. The IJA (International Jugglers Association) and WJF (World Juggling Federation) have been trying to get juggling in the Olympics for a long time, and the standards are just way too rigorous for fringe stuff like this to make it.
I wish the effort to get softball and baseball back in the Games garnered as much attention as this.
Let's be honest, you don't even need to talk about sexism or feminism to see that pole dancing is just a stupid choice for the Olympics.
I would beg to differ about ping pong. That shit is crazy, and they train really hard to get those leg muscles. I'm 100% serious.
I'm still bitter about them tossing softball, so this kind of pours salt on the wound for me... lol.
Okay, as a stripper, I feel almost obligated to weigh in on this.
Pole dancing, while highly athletic, will not become an Olympic sport. A couple of people pushing for legitimacy doesn't make a the massive movement needed to attain that status.
The clothes worn in pole dancing are designed to help the moves being done. In pole dancing competitions, held all over the country, there's a dress code that bans "porn star" outfits. The poles are made of brass, which stick to the skin. For many advanced moves, the pole is gripped with other parts of the body than the legs.
What you might have done in a class that was designed for bored housewives doesn't come near what competitors in the sport, and even many exotic dancers do. Those classes are a weekend novelty for those who want to feel like they're "slumming" and being "naughty".
The sport crossed over into strip clubs/cabarets from side shows and Chinese circuses sometime in the early twentieth century. The act faded in popularity outside of clubs, but is seeing a resurgence recently. The above mentioned two pole performances are still done in strip clubs, as well as in Circe de Soleil.
And, yes, there are male pole dancers.
To answer the question from the original post, I do not think the legitimization of pole dancing will do much to help the poor treatment of SOME exotic dancers. Rather, a paradigm shift in the feminist community can be key to this. I'm so tired of being demonized and derided by (usually second wave or young/developing) feminists. This attitude is something dancers have to put up with from misogynists and wingnuts all the time. It's always scary to hear it from our "sisters".
Thank you, I was hoping that someone with first-hand experience would chime in. :)
I am not a stripper or pole dancer, but you have echoed the sentiments I was going to express. I am so disheartened to see so many people here trashing pole dancing, especially when the criticism is based on what the woman is wearing. Don't we get that enough from our sexist society? I personally do not give credence to the idea that if a woman is revealing her body, it must be sexual. I do not see my or women's bodies in general as sex objects.
Pole dancing isn't inherently sexual. Yes, it has been appropriated for male sexual pleasure, but it does not have to be like that (Breasts are also treated in the U.S. as though they are solely for male titillation. Does that mean we should wear turtlenecks all the time and avoid breastfeeding in public? Male pleasure does not provide a good basis for which to judge these things because that gives into the idea that whatever men find sexual, including the female body, is sexual. We need to create our own affirmative definition of sexual desire, but that's an issue for another post.). To me, pole dancing as an activity is completely divorced from men's club pole dancing, which is mixed with stripping. It can be done by women or men, for a single-sex or mixed audience or no audience at all, and used to express something sexual or not. The idea many of you have of pole dancing is not what it has to be or even is. Removed from the stigma of men's clubs, pole dancing is just a physical activity like any other (See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nws265cJ7DY and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfwYrLuFUe4). I think seeing pole dancing in a more athletic setting would help remove the stigma and give it the respect it deserves.
It's sad because pole dancing requires tremendous strength as well as balance and flexibility. Very few activities geared toward women aim at building strength, but of course one that does has to be completely stigmatized. It seems like anything that could be viewed as a source of power for women has to be stigmatized as slutty. Why is that and why are we perpetuating that stigma?
I'm wondering if "appropriated for male sexual pleasure" is a correct characterization of pole dancing. It seems to me that pole dancing originated in and was designed for male sexual pleasure. And I wonder if something designed for male sexual pleasure, typically executed in a context that objectifies and degrades women, ought to be treated as a sport.
Of course, my sense of what ought or ought not to happen comes from a purely feminist perspective: I don't think it's conducive to the reduction (or elimination) of sexism and discrimination against women to make pole dancing an Olympic sport.
I recognize that this point is controversial. For me, it comes down to the fact that I don't think we have reached a place in our society where we can successfully reappropriate words/activities/actions that have historically been used to degrade women. I think we still need to point out to a majority of society that those words/activities/actions are offensive, and I think it's counterproductive to reappropriate for ourselves the very things we condemn as sexist.
That is a valid point and one that did occur to me when I was writing. I stuck with the term "appropriation" because, as I said, pole dancing is not inherently sexual so I think the fact that what would otherwise be a regular athletic activity is considered something for men's pleasure is an indication that it has been co-opted despite its origins. No one can have a monopoly on a form of movement, and so when it is suggested that that form of movement is only for a certain audience I do think of it as an appropriation of sorts.
Normally I would be right with you on the context and historical points, but I feel differently about this because dance is a form of expression, so how one decides to pole dance will influence the way it is viewed. There is a difference between going into the men's clubs and trying to appropriate the activity as a form of empowerment and giving a broader meaning to pole dancing as applied in a non-traditional way. If one decides to strip and/or otherwise be sexually suggestive, then of course the connotation will stick. But if pole dancing was used as more of an athletic or competitive activity it would quickly change people's perception of. In other words if extricated from the men's club scenario from which it is associated, people will have to broaden their definition of it. Up until recently pole dancing has largely remained in men's clubs. Now it is spreading to the more general populace and it could continue to be seen as something sexual or it could be a chance for people to reconcile the activity with non-sexual uses of it. When you have women pole dancing at home alone as a form of exercise and men practicing pole tricks to show off their strength, I don't see how one can continue to think of pole dancing as the same thing that you see in strip clubs. People would quickly come to distinguish that pole dancing (without stripping) for no audience or mixed-sex audiences for the purposes of fitness or competition is different from the pole dancing that comes as part of a strip routine for the purpose of titillating men in a private club.
No one can have a monopoly on a form of movement ... if extricated from the men's club scenario from which it is associated, people will have to broaden their definition of it ...
I absolutely love this sentiment. It sparks imagery of a massive outbreak of performance art ... groups of quixotic pole-dancers scattered throughout a city. Self-expression through motion has an inherent power, and I love the idea of desexualizing--de-appropriating, you might say--pole dancing just through the intrinsic value of the activity itself.
I'd learn to pole dance for that.
Ssh! Don't give my burlesque teacher ideas! She already ninjas random street signs and lampposts to dance on...
"Of course, my sense of what ought or ought not to happen comes from a purely feminist perspective: I don't think it's conducive to the reduction (or elimination) of sexism and discrimination against women to make pole dancing an Olympic sport...
I think we still need to point out to a majority of society that those words/activities/actions are offensive, and I think it's counterproductive to reappropriate for ourselves the very things we condemn as sexist."
I just want to add that I too am looking at this from a feminist perspective, and the difference between you and I does not come down to feminist credentials. You see pole dancing as inherently sexist; I do not. I see men's clubs and the treatment of sex workers by their patrons and society as sexist. I also see that sex workers are often dismissed as less deserving of dignity and equality by some who identify as feminist. The stigma associated with sex work is forced upon those workers by a sexist society, and there are times when feminists reinforce such stigmas. I see this as self-defeating, and I aim to not be a part of it.
I completely see where you're coming from, and I respect your position. Just to be clear, I don't think sex workers are less deserving of dignity and equality -- not at all. I do, however, think that the sex-work industry perpetuates and reinforces the degradation of women in society (as an industry that operates on the objectification of women and an inherently unequal power dynamic between a male patron and a female worker). As such, I have real doubts about the efficacy of reappropriation or redefinition of sex-work or similar activities (e.g. pole dancing). But, to be honest, I have real doubts about the efficacy of reappropriation in general, and that seems to be the point on which we disagree.
Oops. This did not get posted as a reply before:
Thank you, and I should clarify that I was not trying to imply that you thought sex workers were less deserving of dignity and equality. What I meant was that there are some feminists who do treat women associated with sex work in that way, and that reinforces patriarchal notions of devaluing women based on (perceived) sexual experience. So while I agree with you that we should be wary not to reaffirm sexist caricatures of women as sex objects, we also need to beware to not let our feminist ideas corroborate patriarchal ideas of women and sexuality. In my opinion, trying to draw a line between things that are a function of male desire and things that are not can reinforce patriarchal notions of sex.
Rather, I think it useful to promote the idea that sexual expression should be viewed as such when it is based on the context and intention. There is a problem in our society of conflating the audience's (i.e. man's) arousal with the idea that the woman intends to arouse. That conflation is what leads to people suggesting women asked for it. For that reason, I think it is a very positive thing to take something perceived as sexual and show that in different circumstances it is not sexual at all. I think it is helpful to illustrate that just because men get aroused by something it is not reduced to being defined by male desire, and I do believe that if people saw that pole dancing can be done outside of men's clubs without stripping, it would be desexualized. It is my view that the artificial, yet rigid boundary between some things being seen as sexual and objects of male desire and some things being seen as not sexual is problematic.
Have I told you lately that I love you? :)
Male pole-dancer (amateur, with my university's team) here, confirming that we exist.
Also, my preferred pole-dancing clothing is a pair of (black) underpants. I like the surface area.
University team?? Dude, if I didn't just graduate last week I'd transfer to your uni.
(also I've got a male friend who does burlesque and pole that would be interested in talking to you!)
As a burlesque dancer in training from people that have done burlesque, pole, and/or stripping for half my lifetime...I applaud and salute you! :D
Doesn't bother me, I know quite a few strippers.
Bring back softball as an olympic sport and we will talk.
I find it frankly laughable that anyone would say pole dancing is easy. Holding your entire bodyweight by your arms? I don't think so sweetheart.
Should it be an Olympic sport? I don't think so, no. Do I find the sexist reactions to the suggestion from both sides revolting? Yes, yes I do.
As for pole dancing not being about performing to titillate... it makes me sad there's any need to protest it's not designed for that. So what if it is? Contrary to popular belief women also gain pleasure from watching erotic performance.
I love watching pole dancing, and women dancing in general. I love watching them perform, including acting sexy and everything else. I like watching some Boylesque performers but find most male stripping repugnant because male model lookalikes do nothing for me. That doesn't mean I have a problem with anyone else liking it.
Not that I'm surprised some people on here have such an issue with open sexuality.
I actually agree with most of your points. Pole dancing requires strength, flexibility, and practice. I also see positive contributions to erotic displays of movement. My biggest concern is that labeling pole-dancing as an Olympic sport in this article ignores the complexities of sex work. While I don't think pole dancing should be either condemned or condoned wholeheartedly, I do believe an honest discussion about power dynamics and agency in sex work needs to be occur in a conversation about pole-dancing as sport. The woman featured in the article does not come from a sex work background, but a business consulting career. What role would actual sex workers play in this move towards international recognition of a sport? I am not well-versed in the pole-fitness world. I would be curious to know how many practicing sex workers are leaders in the movement...
As for pole dancing not being about performing to titillate... it makes me sad there's any need to protest it's not designed for that. So what if it is? Contrary to popular belief women also gain pleasure from watching erotic performance...
Not that I'm surprised some people on here have such an issue with open sexuality.
I don't know if this was targeted at me or not, but I feel a need to respond. I do think it is important to distinguish that pole dancing, like any other dance, can be performed for the purposes of titillation or not. Why? Besides being true, too often women are treated as inviting sexual advances because they wear or do something that is associated with being sexual even if that was not their intention. I think we need to get to a point where we recognize that things are not inherently sexual; it's the way they are used that give them sexual meaning. Rather than forcing sexual expression on them, I think each woman who chooses to pole dance or anything else should be able to choose if and to what extent she is expressing herself sexually. I don't have a problem with sexual expression; I have a problem with forcing a sexual interpretation of women's actions on women simply because titillation occurred.
Additionally, our society has a conflicted take on sex and the attaching of the sexual label to things leads to absurd results-- women given trouble about breast feeding in public because breasts are viewed as sexual and thus "inappropriate," children being able to see women in bikinis at the beach but having their eyes covered when a burlesque performer strips down to a bra and panties because "stripping" is seen as sexual, women taping down their nipples so people won't see them because erect nipples are seen as sexual, etc.
And while you appreciate the skill and talent required, many people treat activities labeled sexual as requiring no talent. Having something associated only with sex tends to garner it denigrating treatment, especially for the women involved. You can talk all you want about sexual expression as a positive thing, but we live in a very sex-negative culture and in which the association of something or someone solely with sex does not gain respect.
The fact that I make an attempt to distinguish between the sexual and non-sexual uses of an activity does not mean I eschew titillation or women's ability to gain pleasure from erotic performance. It just means I want women to be able to choose to participate rather than have sex forced on them.
Just as long as men do it too.
(geez, logging in takes forever)
I wouldn't see pole dancing as being in place in the Olympics mainly because it seems more artsy than sporty - more in league with ballroom dancing or cheerleading.
I don't think its sexual connontations should really be that much of a factor though. The Olympics used to be nude and nowadays too many people think "OMG NUDITY = INDECENT SEX". There's a reason why pole dancer outfits are skimpy - you need skin to hang on to the pole!
The people I do burlesque with also do pole, have been for AGES, some of them have histories in the sex industry. Doesn't stop them from being respected as *people*. Our classes tend to attract 20-somethings with the occasional older person. as well as the usual hens/ladies' night/birthday party folk. This is of course in Brisbane, Australia, where a lot of sex work is legal, strip clubs have become trendy hipster hangouts with plush decor, and people don't tend to get so hung up over sex workers or sexuality.
Before pole dancing, how about making ROLLER DERBY an olympic sport?!
Thank you, and I should clarify that I was not trying to imply that you thought sex workers were less deserving of dignity and equality. What I meant was that there are some feminists who do treat women associated with sex work in that way, and that reinforces patriarchal notions of devaluing women based on (perceived) sexual experience. So while I agree with you that we should be wary not to reaffirm sexist caricatures of women as sex objects, we also need to beware to not let our feminist ideas corroborate patriarchal ideas of women and sexuality. In my opinion, trying to draw a line between things that are a function of male desire and things that are not can reinforce patriarchal notions of sex.
Rather, I think it useful to promote the idea that sexual expression should be viewed as such when it is based on the context and intention. There is a problem in our society of conflating the audience's (i.e. man's) arousal with the idea that the woman intends to arouse. That conflation is what leads to people suggesting women asked for it. For that reason, I think it is a very positive thing to take something perceived as sexual and show that in different circumstances it is not sexual at all. I think it is helpful to illustrate that just because men get aroused by something it is not reduced to being defined by male desire, and I do believe that if people saw that pole dancing can be done outside of men's clubs without stripping, it would be desexualized. It is my view that the artificial, yet rigid boundary between some things being seen as sexual and objects of male desire and some things being seen as not sexual is problematic.
Clothing is developed for sports to optimize the performance of athletes . . . clearly that is not the case here, showing exactly what this "sport" entails.
As has been said already in this thread, the clothing is meant to optimize performance. Pole dancers grip the pole with their arms and legs, and fabric does not facilitate gripping. It causes slipping and creates a potential for injury. Consequently, to engage in the activity safely you wear less clothes than you would wear in other sports.
Funny story. A few months back I was having a dish of platanos and this guy asked me if I ever thought about stripping. I was stunned ...but if I can't make tuition you best believe...
I don't like calling anything a sport that isn't fundamentally competitive, as opposed to having some other objective.
How about lap dancing as an olympic sport?