Say YES to All Sizes! Why I’m against the anti size zero campaign.
Firstly, I’d like to say thank you to Katie Green. Her heart is in the right place and she wants to make the world a better place for women and media by saving girls from going down the eating disorder road. But I don’t totally agree with her campaign ‘Say No To Size Zero’. In fact, I’m quite offended by it.
Lemme explain.
When I did have an eating disorder, my lowest weight was ‘way under 90 pounds’ (don’t wanna say what it was in case I trigger people) at 5 foot 3. I was definitely in the BMI range of 15-16. I was a size zero. Not surprising.
Now that I’ve put on weight in a healthy way and gained a huge amount of muscle, my weight is sitting around 115-118 pounds these days give or take. My BMI is around 20. But guess what? I’m still a size ZERO! Maybe smaller! GASP! Surprised now?
I swear I am no longer anorexic. If you look at my naked body, it screams MUSCLE! People suffering from anorexia would not have the muscle mass that I have. I have very little body fat but my regular periods prove I don’t have too little body fat. If you don’t believe me, check out my pole dancing videos. That should be enough proof that I am not anorexic anymore. People with anorexia cannot do what I do and there’s no way I could do what I do if I was still anorexic.
So why am I still a size zero? Because I HAVE A SMALL FRAME! My hips are narrow, like really narrow! My rib cage is small. I’m just small boned all around. This isn’t my fault! I was born this way. I would have to eat unhealthy to put on body fat the wrong way to take me out of size zero.
My small frame does not cause eating disorders. Size zero models are not the problem. And by banning naturally smaller framed girls is discrimination. Period.
Sorry Katie but your size zero problem is not really the problem. The problem is sexism, society, media and the modeling industry.
Stop saying no to size zero models and say YES TO ALL BODY SHAPES AND SIZES!
The real problem is The modeling industry has a DIVERSITY PROBLEM! They only allow a certain look into this industry. If the modeling industry was diverse and if the modeling industry celebrated all shapes and sizes, then women who are trying to get into this industry would not be doing drastic unhealthy things to make their bodies unnaturally thin when their bodies weren’t meant to be thin. Instead, we should be seeing all kinds of women in runway shows and women feeling comfortable in their own skin. If the modeling industry celebrated diversity, then young teens looking at vogue or other magazines would not feel pressured to be thin because thin models would be a small percent. Teens would see more average diverse bodies in magazines and would think whatever their own body looks like must be okay!
I wanna see curvier women in Victoria’s Secret. I want to see flat chested women. I want to see muscular women. I want to see runway model’s thighs rub together. I want to see a booty! I want to see women with stretch marks and some cellulite. I want to see strong empowered women!
If we saw all kinds or women in the modeling industry, then every woman in the modeling industry would not be starving themselves to be a size zero because size zero models will be a small small percent. While naturally super thin girls do exist, they are still a small percentage.
By the way, the BMI scale is out dated and not a proper health indicator tool. But that’s another rant for another day…
Katie Green + Say No To Size Zero = FAIL!
Read MoreNew Pole Trick Maybe?
So a couple weeks ago I was playing around at SASS studio and I accidentally slid into this! Ta-da!
I’ve asked around if anyone has seen this before. I asked on Facebook and on Studio Veena but I didn’t find any information about this trick.
I got into this from a pencil and then I straddled. I hooked one foot onto the pole and I released my bottom hand and arched to grab my foot. The main contacts on the pole is a death grip in my foot and a tight grip with my dominate hand. My back maybe touching the pole but doesn’t give support.
If you want to try this trick but you are struggling, try the dangerous Brian trick first to build up strength in your foot.
Perhaps in the near future once I’ve mastered this too, I’ll create an video tutorial. 
So has anyone else seen this trick? Does it have a name?
Read MoreBring It On Spring!
(Opinion) I’m so glad winter is almost over. It was a brutal winter. It was so dark and so cold and I think I saw the sun like.. twice in the last few months?
This winter validated I don’t belong in the North and belong somewhere hot and sunny. I’ve always suffered on and off with anxiety and depression but this winter was constant! Since December I’ve felt this heavy weight on my shoulders. I felt this constant negative humming in my brain. It was depression that just wouldn’t lift and give me any break. It was constant for months! I think I had a severe case of seasonal affective disorder. I hate winter! AHHH! I wanna live where there’s sun all year round! I was so depressed this winter I couldn’t even celebrate my 30th birthday. I was so depressed that I just laid in bed for days/weeks and cried. I just wanted to go to sleep and not wake up. I donno what I’d do without my hubby. He is my constant strength in my life. He’s always there for me. He is the only person in the world that has always been there for me! Sometimes I think he doesn’t ‘get’ mental health only because he has not experienced it or know anyone that goes through it. But he never gives up on me, even when I give up on my self.
My health this winter also sucked. I was sick since my first pole competition end of September that lasted a couple months. Then I had about a week relief but then I got sick again for another 5 weeks. I think I was healthy for a week out of the entire winter. WTF! I haven’t been in this poor health in a few years!
Coincidentally for the first time in 10 years I stopped tanning in moderation. I went 6 months without the sun or UV lights touching my skin. Coincidentally I was not taking as many supplements as I used to. All I was taking about about 5000IU of D a day, probiotics and some omegas. I really don’t think this is enough. During those couple of years where I wasn’t getting sick– I was tanning, I was taking greens, berry antioxidants, a super strong multivitamin, D, B, omegas, and I had done some expensive detoxes. Coincidence? No I think not. Now you may disagree if you want but I truly believe a diet super high in nutrition prevents sicknesses. I know tanning had a huge effect too.
So I went tanning about 3 times now in 2 weeks and my eczema cleared up. For the first time in 10 years I broke out in eczema! Vitamin D deficiency? I think so!
Because this winter sucked so bad, I didn’t workout as nearly as much as I wanted to. I hardly practised for my pole performances. I did very little activity in between. I tried to eat as healthy as I could but of course I don’t think it was enough. My summer abs somewhat disappeared. I know they are still there and just hiding under some fat. But that’s okay. I’m totally okay with that and I don’t really care! LOL! I’m still pretty fucking ripped for 30 years old! Oh and I finally got the splits for my 30th birthday. That was a real treat!
In the last week I feel my energy coming back a little. I have been doing some home workouts and getting back onto that pole! I’ve started running again with my dog when the weather isn’t shit. I ran just over 5K this morning. I have a big pole performance coming up in June in Hamilton at the Lyric Theatre. VerticaLove Presents The Canadian Pole Dance & Artistry Showcase June 14th and 15th. I’m not sure which night I’m performing yet.
I’m really excited for this spring and summer because there is soooo much going on in my life. Pole, working out, running, work, doing some other side jobs (home renovations). Awesome.
Winter Showcases
It’s only February and and I’ve already been in 2 showcases this year. YAY! And I still have a big big one in June and perhaps some little ones in between.
At the end of January, SASS Studio put together a student showcase for our family and friends. For most of us, it was their first time performing in front of an audience so this was a big deal. It was an awesome turn out that night. A lot of people showed up. Even my pole dancing mother in law performed in the group performance! I’m so proud of my pole mommainlaw!
Last night was the Vertical Love Teaser Showcase. The Canadian Pole Dance & Artistry Showcase is putting a big big 2 night show in Hamilton this June at the Lyric Theatre. There are going to be some big names there that weekend too. Aerial Amy and Karol Helms just to name a couple! GASP!!!!!!!!!!!
So any ways Vertical Love was a great event. Wow it really takes a lot of work and teamwork to put together events like these.
One Billion Rising: V Day 2013
ONE IN THREE WOMEN ON THE PLANET WILL BE RAPED OR BEATEN IN HER LIFETIME.
ONE BILLION WOMEN VIOLATED IS AN ATROCITY
ONE BILLION WOMEN DANCING IS A REVOLUTION
On V-Day’s 15th Anniversary, 2.14.13, we are inviting ONE BILLION women and those who love them to WALK OUT, DANCE, RISE UP, and DEMAND an end to this violence. ONE BILLION RISING will move the earth, activating women and men across every country. V-Day wants the world to see our collective strength, our numbers, our solidarity across borders.
What does ONE BILLION look like? On February 14th, 2013, it will look like a REVOLUTION.
ONE BILLION RISING IS:
A global strike
An invitation to dance
A call to men and women to refuse to participate in the status quo until rape and rape culture ends
An act of solidarity, demonstrating to women the commonality of their struggles and their power in numbers
A refusal to accept violence against women and girls as a given
A new time and a new way of being
Calling all pole dancers and aerialists! Doesn’t this just make sense to you??? Doesn’t this just feel so right??????? I’m sure many of us have our own stories, or know someone who has been a victim of sexual violence. We live a rape culture where sexual violence towards women is tolerated and a social norm. THIS IS FUCKED UP! I WILL NOT TOLERATE THIS ANY MORE! Sexual violence is so tolerated that even when I was sexually assaulted, I couldn’t even admit that I was sexually assaulted until yesterday! Yep, yesterday. And this happened over 8 years ago! Because society taught me to point out all my mistakes leading up to the assault so I blamed myself entirely so that it wasn’t even sexual assault to me. This fuckhead probably doesn’t even realize what he did was sexual assault! And this is the biggest problem in society: some rapist don’t even know they are rapists for fuck sakes!
Look at the stigma pole dancers still face today! I believe the stigma we face is pre-violence. Well think about it…! Strippers are treated like they are subhuman without any rights and if something happens to them it’s their own fault! This stigma makes sexual violence towards them tolerated! Pre-Violence! Strippers have little to no protection when they are at work. Well strippers are human beings too so they also do deserve rights and protection and free from violence. As pole dancers we may also be blamed for our own safety. How about raising a new generation of people who will respect strippers? Not dehumanize them!
But anyhoo, One Billion Rising just feels so right. So my plans are to create a pole dance video dedicated to this whole global movement and tag the hell out of it with #1billonrising. I would love to see other pole dancers participate. Who’s joining me?
Check out this website for more information. http://onebillionrising.org/
Read MoreThe Menstrual Taboo
When I got my first period when I was still a child, I already figured it out that I was to go to my mom about it and not my dad. I already figured it out that my period was also to be kept from my brother and pretty much kept secret from everyone else. I had already been socially raised to believe that there was something shameful and wrong about the female body which explains when I got my first period I burst into tears and had a crying fit when I told my mom. I felt the shame I was raised to believe. I’ll never forget that moment of deep intense shame I felt one day when I had a relative over visiting and I was sitting on the couch with a hot water bottle on my belly because I was in a lot of period pain. My mother told me to put it away, that I was some how ‘advertising’ my period. LMFAO!
Historically, we used to believe that menstruating women were unclean, dirty, and sinful. Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism have all made statements about menstruation and its negative effect on women and society, leading to prohibitions about physical intimacy, cooking, attending places of worship, and sometimes requiring women to live separately from men at this time. If you don’t believe me just read the Bible or other religious texts.
But haven’t we come a long way? No not really. Today TV advertisements cannot even be honest about periods and they use a blue liquid to demonstrate how sanitary napkins work instead of blood. No one’s menstrual blood is BLUE! I even spoke about my new menstrual find (menstrual cups), on Facebook and I was just waiting.. just waiting for the the negative complaints to start pouring in. Luckily out of my 382 and climbing Facebook friends, probably over 90% of them are female, open minded, liberated pole dancers. So I didn’t receive many complaints.
Girls are taught from a young age how to hide sanitary napkins. Because *GASP* what if people noticed you carrying a tampon on your way to the bathroom? Then they will know you must be menstruating or something. LOL! Trust me how many of you hide your pad or tampon in your pocket, sleeves and creatively in your sock? LOL I used to hide mine in my socks while walking to the bathroom. Us school girls back in the day were creative at hiding things! Not me any more. I juggle my tampons or pads in the air while walking to the bathroom. I GOT NO SHAME!
DID YOU KNOW that menstruation is the main cause of school drop outs for girls/women in poverty/third world countries????? Imagine, bleeding every month and not having anything to stop the blood with. A lot of these women drop out of school and not leave their house due to shame and the menstrual taboo. See how this taboo causes harm to society?
Anyhoo.. so I am currently trying out a menstrual cup right now. I had a rough start with it at first but I think I’m getting used to it now. It takes a lot of practice! I plan on writing a review about this product so stay tuned. I am going to even test this product out while pole dancing! Menstrual cups are a cup or barrier to catch menstrual blood inside the vagina before it comes out. It is a bell-shaped cup made out of silicone. They cost around 20-40 dollars and meant to last up to 10 years!!! Just think of all the money you spend on sanitary napkins every month and how much money you will be saving in the long run. Also, using reusable menstrual cups are eco-friendly and better for the environment. Saving money and the environment isn’t the only benefit from this new invention. Most women report that menstrual cups don’t cause dryness or burning from abrasions that tampons can sometimes cause from their tiny fibres!!! Tampons and pads can sometimes cause yeast infections due to the chemicals and bleach that are in those products. Menstrual cups do not cause this! And you have no risk of Toxic Shock Syndrome!
In the mean time, check out this video. I want to help out this campaign some how.
My Mother-In-Law Poles too!
Did I ever tell you about my mother in law? Well if I didn’t, here it goes. I have the coolest mother in law ever!!!!
A couple years ago my mother in law came to one of my studio’s open house to check out my new found love of pole. Like most mothers, I thought she was just concerned about my new hobby that she wanted to make sure I was okay. Little did I know she had been secretly plotting behind my back to actually try pole! LOL!
Kelly is fearless, strong and tom boy but with lots of bling. She’s not afraid of being nice to people and she has a huge heart of gold. Long story short, so Kelly comes to my open house and tries pole and by the end of the day she bought 10 prepaid classes to learn pole and get fit! *gasp*
I find out later the only reason why she wanted to try pole was to get to be able to spend some more time with her daughter in law! LOL! But then she ends up liking pole…. maybe more than me now… :p…. She poles with or without me now! She’s already surpassing me in pole! She’s SUPER KELLY!! LIKE HOLY CRAP I HOPE I AM LIKE HER AT HER AGE!!!!
The other day she kicked one of her sons out of his own bedroom to turn into a pole room.. LOL!! No I’m kidding she didn’t really kick him out, I think he moved his bedroom or something but the point is my mother in law now has a pole room! She’s hardcore! She even drove all the way to Ottawa to see me compete in the Ontario Pole Fitness Championships!!!
One thing I am really envious about my mother in law is that she is more flexible than I am! NOT FAIR!!!!
So that’s my mother in law. Isn’t she amazing?
Happy Birthday Kelly!! You are the best mother in law ever!!!
Taking Our Sexuality Back As Women
While I was competing in Ottawa in the Ontario Pole Fitness Championships, I had a beautiful moment with my dear pole pal and friend, Kathy. We were hanging out in the dressing room waiting for our turn to go up on stage to compete. She asks me, ‘why don’t you dance sexy any more?’.. or something along those lines. I explained myself. That since I am no longer apart of the adult industry, that I’ve reinvented myself with a different style and I choose to leave super sexy out of it. We chatted about the whole theory about S Factor and women reclaiming their bodies and taking back their sexuality. Then I blurted it out and confessed. “Okay I still have major issues about my own sexuality.”
And it’s true. I’m still healing. I’m not totally liberated and free. I’m almost there. I’m progressively working through my issues.
The conversation I had with Kathy is deep and personal and I will forever remember that moment in the dressing room.
Since September 29th, I have been thinking about that night. Anyways long story short, I’m gonna work on reclaiming my body as MINE. I’m going to reclaim my sexuality as mine. And I thank Kathy for turning a light bulb on in my brain. She inspires me.
Anyhoo, check out this old article by The Huffington Post. I need to take an S Factor class for therapy!
S Factor Helps Women Take Back Their Sexuality
On Saturday in Los Angeles, 12 slightly nervous women (myself included) entered a dim-lit room with hardwood floors (a little bit like a yoga studio, but with five “stripper” poles). We were greeted by teachers Janelle Giumarra and Kerry Anne Aldridge. Both women told us right away that it was natural to feel a bit nervous, and asked if any of us had taken an S Factor class before. None of us had.
After introducing ourselves to the group, Janelle turned on some hot, thumping music. She then led us through a series of floor exercises — hip circles, pelvic lifts, and something called leg flirts (use your imagination here). They were all aimed at helping us get deeper into our bodies and appreciate our own sensuality. It was working. I was feeling hot.
As we hip swirled and lovingly caressed our own bodies (yes, even our breasts), there was a wonderful sense of feminine camaraderie in the room — a sense of group acceptance for being women. “We’re all in this together,” shouted Janelle over the music. Yes, we were all in this together — getting over inhibition, getting over shame that for many of us as females had been programmed into us from earlier experiences.
So when were we going to learn some tricks on the pole?
Well, as it turns out, “S Factor” is MUCH more than that. “S Factor is not pole dancing. S Factor has pole dancing in it. S Factor is about learning the feminine language of the body and finding your sexy alter ego … finding your erotic creature,” Sheila told me in an interview after I took the class.
Finding our sexy alter ego is important because, “If you do not take your sexuality back, you will forever run in a gerbil circle going, ‘Give me equal rights. Give me equal rights. Give me equal rights.’ You know what? Take your body back. Take your vagina back. Take your breasts back. Take your ass back. Live happily in them,” said Sheila.
According to Sheila, taking our sexuality back as women is the final frontier of feminism. I have to agree. When we, as a group of women, come together loving our bodies and loving who we are as females — from the inside out — something miraculous happens. We claim our power. We claim our space. And everyone seems to be better off for it.
“When you come to class, you start to notice all of the little beautiful details in the women around you, then you start to notice the beautiful little details in yourself,” said Janelle.
S Factor classes are offered around the country. If you are new, it is best to take an introductory class. After that, you can sign up for Level One and then move up through the seven levels. Each level is eight weeks, one class per week, with the same group of women in each class. “These girls are tight,” said Janelle. “It’s an amazing group of support and compassion.”
Compassion is key to the group experience of S Factor. Many women are working through some old, rough stuff. One S Factor student-turned-teacher described how her parents used to tell her it was too embarrassing to go to her dance recitals when she was 12 or 13 years old. “That’s a pretty awkward time,” she said. “But now I’m doing this,” she said with a confident smile.
Building confidence is one of the main takeaways for women who venture into the S Factor experience. Even Hollywood stars from Teri Hatcher to Kate Hudson say it has increased their confidence. “[This] is about Empowerment … it’s about finding this place of comfort and confidence in your own body,” Teri Hatcher said in a testimonial.
For me, just one class opened me up to more of my feminine sensuality — and I am loving it! Not only do I feel more in touch with my power, I am having so much fun feeling good about being me — a beautiful female who has a lot of joy to share.
As Clarissa Pinkola Estes says in her bestselling book, Women Who Run With the Wolves: “When women reassert their relationship with the wildish nature, they are gifted with a permanent and internal watcher, a knower, a visionary, an oracle, an inspiratrice, an intuitive, a maker, a creator, an inventor, and a listener who guide, suggest, and urge vibrant life in the inner and outer world.”
S Factor puts women back in touch with their wild nature. Oh, and what about the pole tricks? Guess you’ll have to come to class.
For more information about how you can get started with S Factor, visitwww.sfactor.com
To hear what other women have to say about S Factor, click here for testimonials.
Medalist proud of up and coming sport
Amanda Moore
October 16, 2012
Sheena is fit, strong and the proud recipient of a bronze medal all due to an up and coming sport — pole dancing.
While most picture a scantily clad woman working the pole in a dimly lit night club when they envision pole dancing, that is no longer the case. A large population of women are turning to the new sport of pole dancing as a way to meet their fitness needs. Winger is one of those women who feels the most fit she ever has thanks to pole dancing.
“I didn’t see it as something sexy,” said Sheena, who won a bronze medal in the professional division at the Canadian Pole Fitness Championships. “I saw it as acrobatic and fitness.”
And it certainly takes a lot of physical ability to perform some of the moves that helped Winger garner the bronze at the competition held Sept. 29 in Ottawa.
Her instructor, Grimsby resident Shanyn Pollard, who owns Sass Pole Fitness in Stoney Creek, was crowned Miss Pole Dance Canada in 2011, after taking a gold at the provincial level and going on to take gold again at the national level.
Pollard opted out of competing this year to focus on teaching. She was also able to cheer Winger on from the crowd, as she danced her way to bronze.
Sheena is Pollard’s second student to compete in pole dancing and the first to compete in the professional division.
The studio has grown in the three years since it opened, first in Fort Erie and then to Stoney Creek. Sass not only offers pole dancing lessons, but pole parties, which are popular for bachelorettes, as well as cardio classes, yoga and aerial fitness classes. The studio will be offering a new suspension yoga program beginning next month.
The public, said Pollard, is beginning to understand that pole dancing isn’t just for night clubs, but a great way to tone the body. She has women of all ages and abilities signing up for classes at the Barton Street studio.
“It doesn’t feel like work,” Pollard said of the sport. “You can have fun and be goofy, just don’t be afraid of a little sweat.”
Sheena agrees.
“It’s addicting,” said Sheena. “I was a runner and a gym goer before. All I did was cardio. I was obsessed with losing weight and looking skinny. Now, I don’t worry about my weight anymore. I am stronger and healthier than ever before. And I get to have fun doing it.”
Sass Pole Fitness is located at 687 Barton St., Stoney Creek. For information and a class schedule, visit www.polefit.ca or call 905-643-0013.
Menstruation Effects On Pole
I copied this information from the Pole dance for Fitness Instruction Commission of Canada, PFIC’s Facebook Page. I always wondered about the effects of pole fitness during menstruation. After doing some research about being inverted for long periods of time while menstruating , I discovered that it was not a good idea. Your period comes out because of gravity and small contractions in the uterus. Being upside down cannot allow that natural flow. I know I’m not inverted for long periods of time while on the pole but I am flipping around a lot so maybe there is no harm? When ever I go to the studio, I love hanging upside down on the hammock for long periods of time. It feel so euphoric. But when I’m having a period I don’t. Allow your body to naturally flow out! LOL!!!
Please check out PFIC for your instructor certification course and other pole health and safety information! And don’t forget to LIKE THEIR PAGE!
http://www.facebook.com/pficcanada
Not sure how many people actually know this….but when you are on your menstrual cycle, your inverts should never be longer than 15 seconds.
Inversions are not recommended during the menstrual period for philosophic as well as physiologic reasons.
During the menses, the pelvic vascular bed contains more blood than at other times of the cycle. The uterine blood supply enters the uterus from the right and left sides of the pelvis. These blood vessels are located in the broad ligaments that suspend the uterus from the pelvis. The uterine arteries are thick-walled and muscular. The uterine veins are thin-walled and easily collapsed.
During inversions, the uterus is pulled toward the head by gravity, causing the broad ligaments to be stretched. This can cause stretch and partial collapse or occlusion of the thin-walled veins, while allowing the uncollapsed arteries to continue to pump in blood. Thus, more blood enters the uterus via the arteries than can be carried away by the veins. The vascular congestion that results can lead to increased menstrual bleeding.
Hindu philosophy teaches that during menses the direction of energy is down and out of the body. This flow should not be obstructed or reversed as it is in inversions.
While science is staring to rule out the role of inverted poses in endometriosis, it has not ruled the postures out as cause for another condition, vascular congestion. Although there is no research to date which supports this idea, there is also no research that debunks it. As a result, many instructors still recommend avoiding inverted poses during menstruation.
On another note for women during menses: Women will perspire more during their cycle, than any other time of the month. Holding the pole becomes a safety concern as cycles can cause bouts of hyper-hydrosis.
Pole Safe….and Informed!
Read MoreNew Pole Dancer Apparel!
mrsnaughtywed
mrsnaughtywed
mrsnaughtywed
mrsnaughtywed
- Every women should b able to take a cab ride home without the fucking cab driver sexually assaulting them!!!
- Attention females in #Toronto ! Do not ride cabs alone. A perverted cab driver is at it again. @TorontoPolice
- Missing my Avo though... :(
Recent Comments