Guest Post: Hollie - Pole dancing and burlesque, a journey in confidence and body image

Hey everyone! Today I have a very special guest post from a friend of mine, Hollie. She's here today to share her story on how pole dancing and burlesque helped her with her confidence and body image. Hope you all enjoy!

Credit to: Faceiro Photography

Think Hermione from Harry Potter or Sandy at the start of Grease and you get the idea of what I was like before pole and burlesque entered my life. I was (and still am to an extent) a nerdy introvert, but now I'm happy enough to strut my stuff on stage and am a lot more outgoing. So how did the transformation start??

I started pole dancing just before entering my final year as an undergraduate at Northumbria University in 2011. This was as a result of agreeing with friends that we wanted to try some form of dance and pole seemed like fun. We all signed up and went along to our first class. I was hooked straight away and have regularly attended lessons ever since, going to different studios as and when I have moved to study. These days I'm a qualified instructor regularly teaching in Nottingham.

What influenced me to start burlesque was my love of the film 'Burlesque' and the performer Dita Von Teese. The film and performer made me interested in the art form so I ended up going to see a show in Newcastle when I was studying for my undergraduate degree. I also went along to a workshop which was interesting, but I was never brave enough to regularly go to classes until last year. I moved to Nottingham in 2013 to study for a PhD and thanks to new friends I ended up doing a pole performance as part of a burlesque showcase for 'The Scarlet Ribbon School Of Burlesque' in 2014. That was the push I needed to start regularly attending burlesque lessons; all thanks to meeting the lovely ladies at the showcase and them making me realise that yes I can do this!

Credit To: Hollie Harvey

Pole and burlesque are lots of fun and strangely addictive. Pole because of the adrenaline factor in learning new moves and burlesque because you can be whoever you want to be and the act of taking items of clothing off onstage is very daring even if it is only gloves that you remove.

Both pole and burlesque have a real sense of community and it is like joining a family rather than just making friends, which is one of the major benefits you gain a support network of strong ladies (and men). Another benefit is fitness, they are a real workout, in pole you are often holding your own weight and in burlesque running through routines really builds stamina. I have dropped 3 dress sizes in 4 years of pole dancing and gained a whole load of muscle as well as flexibility which helps with the dancing in Burlesque.

Pole has helped my confidence as well as body image by making me appreciate what my body is capable of. When I first started pole I was learning new things every week, it still amazes me that one week I can do something I couldn't last week! Gaining that strength and control is so empowering.
Burlesque makes you focus on how you move your body and what looks flattering. You get to see yourself in the best light possible which makes you feel sexy and really feminine which for me was a real confidence boost as well.

Another way that both pole and burlesque helped with my body image was realizing that we come in all shapes and sizes, and guess what...they all deserve to be celebrated!! In burlesque this is particularly highlighted as it really celebrates the female form. Everyone has something they don't like about themselves but what is more important is that everyone has something they do like. I think that unless you do a form of dance you can miss out on developing a real appreciation of what real women look like. The image in society a lot is based on magazines; this is something that is really difficult to explain.

Credit to: Vapour Trail Photography

Both pole and burlesque have helped improve my confidence so much because they encouraged me to be more outgoing and stop being as shy as I was. Performing added a whole other level of confidence. Having the courage to get up on stage and overcome those nerves made me realize I can do more than I thought possible. It has been so long since I did my first pole performance now I can't remember exactly what that was like, but I do know that I am still petrified every time before the music starts. Competing was again different as it brings another level of pressure with being judged and marked on what you do.

The first pole competition I did was in March 2014 and I was entered in the advanced category (no pressure there then!) this made me focus and actually improved my confidence as it made me realise how far I had come and what I was capable of. My first burlesque performance was in December 2014; again the nerves were really bad but the adrenaline and sudden confidence as I became someone else for those few minutes was the most amazing thing.

Since becoming a pole dance instructor in October last year my confidence has soared. One of my biggest fears as an introvert is standing up in front of a crowd and talking so leading a class for the first time was petrifying but I did it and now I'm totally in control (I'd like to think) and confident up there these days.

So that is my story and ongoing journey to improved self-confidence and body image :)

Many thanks to all the pole and aerial studios I have trained in based in Newcastle, Durham and Nottingham (there are far too many to mention)

A massive thank you to 'The Scarlet Ribbon School Of Burlesque'

xxxxxx