Does it really work?
Like the tango, it originally emerged from the sex industry. Could embracing sensual, erotic movements be the key to building body confidence?
THE GUINEA PIG Annie Scott, WH contributor
Ten years ago, one of my colleagues affectionately gave me the nickname ‘penguin feet’. After a decade running around London in skyscraper heels, I had to have foot surgery that required me to switch to flats. Moving felt strange and – fair play to my co-worker – Idid walk without grace. Suffice to say, I’m self-conscious about it. Walking through a train carriage leaves me longing for an invisibility cloak and skuttling through an office without clutching something makes me feel like a drunk baby giraffe.
To challenge this, the good people of Women’s Health dispatched me to try… pole dancing. And if the mainstay of ‘basic’ hen-dos and creepy dive bars sounds like an unlikely training ground for building confidence, it turns out there’s a method to this madness.
A study by Poznań University of Physical Education found women who pole danced had higher body confidence than those who did not – based, at least in part, on the physical strength it promotes. Research from the University of Alberta found similar results – again, partly down to the improvement in functionality women experienced, along with exposure to diverse body types. Throw in the self-esteem boost that comes with mastering a new skill and it seems that pole dancing could be a one-stop shop to mind and body nirvana. Who knew?
After a commute haunted by images of unsmiling models in Perspex heels, I arrive at Polepeople – apole-dancing studio close to London’s Barbican Centre. The class is led by Jai – adiminutive Aussie with the kind of energy most people possess only after a few espressos. Despite my reservations (read: terror), my adoration of her is instant. Within 30 seconds, every set of shoulders in this class – apleasing
