More often than not, I get people wanting to join pole classes but wondering if they are too big / small / young / old / weak / inflexible… you get the idea.
Of course I reply saying that pole really is for everyone 😀
When I get to meet new polers or start to get to know them, it’s amazing to find out quite how many people had to pluck up the courage to come to class because they didn’t want to show their bodies.
Love Yourself
I completely understand that, because I am one of those people. It took me a year to build up the confidence to go to my first pole class. I thought I was too scrawny and not sexy enough. I just thought I’d look silly, but I’m so glad that I decided to go to my first class.
Speaking to a few people recently, it has opened my eyes a little as to how many people really dread the thought of being in little shorts, or crop tops. We all have issues of scars or cellulite or thinking we are too fat or too thin to want to put our bodies on show. We think that we are going to walk into a room full of judgemental people who will look down at us for wearing our shorts when all we want is grip.
Hopefully most (if not all) of you realise that it really isn’t like that. No one will be looking at you in that way, and no one will judge you. We look at others to admire what they can do and wish we could do the same. We want to clap when you do things well, and cheer and hug you!
It Takes Time
So I was a scrawny little kid. All the mean little kids would make fun of me for being stick thin… But literally stick thin, bones out and everything. (But that’s a story for another time!) It does hurt when people call you names, and it does stay with you. I felt so awkward when I was on the pole and I always felt gangly and not cool enough to pole.
I then remember the dread of trying out this cool move called a Cross Knee Release. It was the first pole move I ever saw and I was desperate to try it. When I did I was so embarrassed and heart broken to see that my legs would squish together in all kinds of bad ways and streams of cellulite would appear. I was devastated. This amazing trick that I always had wanted to learn was suddenly the thing I dreaded most about pole classes.
I would try to brush it off and point it out to people so that we all knew how bad I looked. I would also try to face certain directions so that people wouldn’t see my legs.
Looking back, I’m sure no one cared or even noticed!
Love Yourself
I can’t really remember what happened to make me change. I think it was weighing up whether to cover up and not have grip, or have less clothes on knowing I needed the grip. I pretty sure the need for grip won!
It’s so easy to say to people to come along and wear shorts, but for a lot of people, it is a big battle. Even for the guys – I know that my partner James does not feel confident wearing vests rather than t-shirts, but again he wants more grip and has to vest up.
I still have days where I think my shorts show off my legs in a bad way, or that my tummy is not toned enough to get away with crop tops. But you know what? I want grip and I want to learn that new cool move.
It’s hard to get past your own body issues. It’s taken me a long time and I’m still not quite there but I love pole and have started to love myself.
We all have some sort of body issue (and if you don’t, I wish I was you!) but when it comes to pole, we all just want everyone to do well.
Think to yourself whether you’ve ever judged someone for what they’re wearing in pole class? Have you ever thought that their shorts are too short, or that they should cover up? Hell no! We are polers. We are proud of what we can do. We are proud of our bodies.
Your body is amazing, and it’s yours. You only get one, so love it.
Love yourself 😀 Xx
