The erotic art of pole dancing has become a means of exercise thanks to the fitness frenzy of the 1990’s. You would hope that the normalisation of pole fit would make strippers feel more accepted in society but it has unfortunately done the opposite. This is due to how deeply engrained whorephobia is in our patriarchal society (whorephobia: a term used to describe the hatred of and descrimination against sex workers, especially full service workers). When civilians (sex work slang for people who don’t work in the sex industry) engage in pole fit, cis women are especially prone to detaching themselves from the sex industry in order to be taken seriously as an athlete. But strippers founded pole fit and it is very important to recognise that.
So if you want to join or are already a part of the pole fit community, here are some helpful tips on how to be a sex work ally. You can use this guide to ensure that your pole fitness journey is ethical, and not causing harm to/further alienating a marginalised group of people.
Know The History
The first step to being an ethical pole fit enthusiast is to know the history! When it comes to learning any skill that is linked to a marginalised group of people, educating yourself is a powerful tool to ensure you don’t appropriate or cause harm to the community. And you’re in luck, because I’ve already done the research for you! If you want to know a brief overview of the history of pole fit, you can read my article A Strip Through Time- A Brief History of Stripping and Pole Fit.
TLDR: To summarise my article, pole fit was invented by strippers. More specifically, many of the skills and moves you learn in pole fit come from Black strippers. If you have white skin, it is important to recognise you have privileges when it comes to engaging in a sport that is linked to feminine expression, that Black, Brown and Indigenous folks (especially women/trans and gender non conforming folk) do not have.
If you’re a pole fit instructor, I would highly encourage you to start your courses by acknowledging the stripper roots of pole fit. There is a very high chance that one of your students is a stripper, and I can’t emphasise enough how much this simple act will make them feel safe. And as an instructor, it is essential to ensure that all of your students feel safe and welcomed.
Be Mindful Of The Language You Use When Teaching/Learning Pole Fitness
Whorephobia is a dangerous mentality that is a result of centuries of patriarchal ideology and colonisation. It is so deeply ingrained in our psyche that many of us may not even know we partake in it. Comments such as “I’m worried my family will think I’m a stripper if I tell them I do pole fit” does nothing but add to the shame and isolation that sex workers experience. This is why it’s important to be mindful of how you speak when discussing/teaching pole fitness.
As a stripper myself, there is nothing that makes me feel more uncomfortable at a pole fit lesson than having the instructor make whorephobic remarks. Comments such as “this isn’t about looking like a stripper!” isn’t the feminist inspiration you may think it is. Being compared to a stripper should be viewed as massive praise, because strippers are the professionals of the skill you’re learning. And I mean that quite literally: strippers get paid to do what you pay to do. So just be mindful of that next time you notice an icky feeling when someone rightfully links strippers to pole fit. When you rebuff that connection: not only are you being historically inaccurate, you are also contributing to the systematic oppression of sex workers.
Learn Pole Fit From A Stripper
One of the most ethical ways to partake in pole fit is to be taught by a stripper. The internet is an amazing place and there is an endless pool of online pole fit content creators who are strippers/retired strippers. And wouldn’t you want to learn your skills directly from the masters?
If you don’t have a pole at home, or would prefer to join a studio so that you can be a part of a community: try and find a studio that hires strippers as pole fit instructors! Many civilians I know who attend pole fit classes say they did so in order to connect to their sensual side and feel empowered in their body. Strippers embody the body positivity notion you are likely seeking through pole fit. So again, why not learn from the professionals?
Make Sure The Pole Studio You Attend/Teach At Is Not Whorephobic
Finding a stripper to teach you pole fit may not be accessible to everyone. If this is the case, it is important to make sure you aren’t giving your money to/teaching at a place that is not sex work friendly.
If you’re a student looking for a studio, have a shop around and see what your options are. Ask the studio how they feel about strippers, and if they display any whorephobic ideaology I would continue looking.
If you’re an instructor, please call out your fellow instructors when they make whorephobic remarks. This is why Knowing The History is so vital. When you have the facts backing you up, you can efficiently and effectively call people out on their whorephobia.
Visit Strip Clubs And TIP THE STRIPPERS!
I highly encourage the civilians I know who engage in pole fit to visit strip clubs when they have the financial means to. This is especially important if you’re a civilian who profits from the pole fit industry. Due to the pandemic, our current economic climate is deeply impacting the sex work industry. Many strippers I know (myself included) can’t even afford to attend pole fit classes. Instead we learn from one another in the strip club. A great way to pay homage to the industry you’re cosplaying as is to quite literally pay us directly.
Gather a group of fellow pole fit enthusiasts and go for a strip club crawl! But please note: strippers do not have an hourly wage, we get paid in tips and lap dances. Only visit the club if you’re prepared to tip each dancer. Tip Black, Brown and Indigenous strippers twice as much as you would the white strippers (the sex work industry is not exempt from systematic racism, and as a result strippers of colour often have to work twice as hard as the white strippers. As well as this, strip clubs are more likely to hire dancers that fit Western standards of beauty: thin, white, cis women).
I suggest hosting a fundraiser show at your studio! Put on a polefit showcase, charge money for tickets and put some of that money aside. Once you have enough, you can celebrate by taking the studio out to the local strip club and showering the strippers with tips!
Tip From A Stripper: If you tip us in real money instead of strip club dollars, most clubs let us keep 100% of that tip. Stop wage theft by tipping strippers with real money!
Advocate For The Decriminalisation Of Sex Work
If you are going to partake in a “sport” that would not exist without the sex work industry, it is vital that you use your civilian privilege to advocate for decriminalisation and safety of sex workers.
If you’re afraid that people will think you’re a stripper because you do pole fit, that means you at least have a surface level understanding of how our society views strippers. So imagine if you actually were a stripper, then use that empathy to become an ally. In many countries, sex work is still a heavily criminalised industry. And while stripping is decriminalised or legal in most parts of the world, many SWERFs (Sex Work Exclusionary Radical Feminists) are trying to shut down the sex work industry entirely.
Follow online sex work activists to stay up to date with sex work politics. Listen to and elevate the voices of sex workers, especially queer, fat, POC, disabled, trans and gender non conforming sex workers.
The Pole Studio Is Not A Place To Be Whorephobic
To put it simply: support sex workers or get off our poles! Don’t be a SWERF, respect the roots of your chosen hobby, and hopefully one day we will live in a world where sex workers don’t feel out of place in a “fitness” which wouldn’t exist without them.
Are you a sex worker with a story, opinion, news or tips to share? We'd love to hear from you!
We started the tryst.link sex worker blog to help amplify those who aren't handed the mic and bring attention to the issues ya'll care about the most. Got a tale to tell? 👇☂️✨
