Revealing Your Belly
I did it.
I poled in a crop top.
I exposed my midriff.
People saw my tummy.
No one ran away screaming.
No one looked repulsed.
No one pointed.
The world did not end.
I did not die.
Hmmmm...
First let me explain if you're a non poler reading this. The reason pole dancers expose midriff, thighs, a bit of butt, hips, upper arms, and shoulders, is skin is needed to 'stick' to the pole. Unlike fabric which slides, slips, and doesn't hold grip at all, skin does.
Think about it. Could you pull yourself up on a pole with cotton gloves on? No. Now take them off and use your bare hands, your skin. You grip, you stick, you can climb.
Because of the tricks pole dancers do, the gymnastic type moves, the heights, the speed of some of the moves, the poler needs to stick to stay attached to the pole, so skin it is. The more challenging or difficult the trick, at times the more skin is needed to stick. Multiple tricks, different body parts need to stick to grip on and that equals less clothing worn to be able to accomplish these beautiful moves.
Having finally moved on from level 6 to level 7 at my pole studio, the tricks in this new level are harder, higher, and consequently require more skin to be exposed to be able to maintain grip to the pole during the trick. They are tricks which need midriff exposed to grip, and inner upper arm, just down from your armpit. So that means I NEED to expose my tummy, as squirmy and uncomfortable as it made me feel, if I want to do these new tricks and poses then off comes the top, so to speak.
The bruises are fresh, the muscles are sore, and my skin is once again slowly toughening, very slowly, at the main contact areas where these tricks are performed. And more skin equals more 'conditioning', which is a nice way to say it hurts until it doesn't.
Here's my suggestion if you're reluctant like I was to bare you midriff, show off your tummy, or even lift your top a bit for your skin to grip more... take a deep breath and DO IT!
Every one else is so busy concentrating on themselves and what they're trying to accomplish, focusing on where to place their hand, their foot, grunting and lifting into position, staying put and not crashing to the ground... honestly no one notices!
I will confess to you it's a bit of a let down even, after the self talk, the "You can do it!" in your head, the deep breathing as you peel off your clothes... and no one notices.
For me the following week at the end of my class my instructor casually walked up and said she noticed and she was proud of me for doing it because it was something she wasn't comfortable with herself. Mind blown! I would never have known if she hadn't told me. A classic example of being wrapped up in my own little bubble of insecurities and neuroses that other people's hang ups go by pretty much unnoticed.
So take that as the predominant position of most of your class members and go for it. Show your beautiful skin, as flawed, scarred, marked, or damaged as you think it is, it's not. It's a tool to use to achieve beautiful moves in pole, it's part of what makes you the beautiful poler you are, and it's part of the story that makes you uniquely you.
