The Smart Local

Overcoming self-consciousness

As I grew in confidence and started posting videos on Instagram, a few friends expressed a tentative interest in trying pole for themselves. 

Most common sentiments heard? “Is everyone in the class very good?” “Can plus-size girls do it?” “I want to try it, but I don’t dare to wear so little!” “Is it slutty?”

I heard a shred of insecurity underlying the excitement in my friends’ eyes, and saw a past version of myself reflected right back at me. It turns out that in my 6-month journey, I had developed a greater appreciation of my body for what it can do vs how it looks – you’d hardly care about cellulite that much when your powerful legs get you suspended in the air. Self-consciousness, who? 

The pole community is also one that’s super supportive. Unlike many fitness studios where the default mode is to pretend your classmates are invisible, my fellow polers always stepped up to make sure I didn’t fall off the pole. Some classmates offered tips on how to achieve that elusive Superman or Leg Hang pose. Others even clapped when I finally nailed it.