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The Forum > General Discussion > pole dancing empowerment

pole dancing empowerment

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I think that pole dancing degrades women in much the same way that wrestling, boxing or rugby league degrades men. They all have entertainment value that is highly gendered, but I wouldn't necessarily encourage my kids to participate.

Also, I find them all quite boring.
Posted by CJ Morgan, Monday, 22 October 2007 8:01:20 AM
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Romany, very well said.

R0bert
Posted by R0bert, Monday, 22 October 2007 8:38:10 AM
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Interesting question, interestingly phrased:

"im doing this assignment for year 12 and i wanted to know public opinions on wether pole dancing or striptease etc. empowers or does not empower women?"

At a purely financial level, it "empowers" women to earn money, taking it pretty much directly out of the pockets of willing punters. This is a simple transaction, regulated by market forces, in that if there were no demand there would be no supply. As such, it says more about the gullibility of men than it does about the choices that women make.

At a psychological level, it "empowers" women to exercise a form of control over men, by the act of simulating an offer of sexual favours that will not, by definition, be fulfilled. This is particularly "empowering" in the sense that it makes men look like drooling idiots for the duration, and relieves them of money in the process.

At a social level, though, it might not be quite so "empowering", since there is a significant percentage of the community who, for various reasons of their own, think that pole dancing is tacky, pointless and slightly sordid. Which might militate against any overall feeling of financial and psychological "empowerment" that the lady in question might enjoy.

But stepping back for a moment, it might also be a useful exercise to take a good hard look at how the word "empowerment" itself has become a debased form of linguistic currency. It has become more a mantra than a meaningful word in its own right, and any word that has been asked to perform the gender-political gymnastics that this one has, has a right to feel a little jaded.

You might need to make some kind of judgment, for example, on the question "empower to do... what?"
Posted by Pericles, Monday, 22 October 2007 10:35:57 AM
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Bek

I suggest you find yourself a school that is not stupid enough to have YR 12 students doing assignments on such dumb topics. Ask your teacher if you can do an assignment on something that will increase your knowledge of something other than sleeze.
Posted by runner, Monday, 22 October 2007 10:43:33 AM
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Bek, if runner's post needs some interpretation here is my take on what he/she is saying.

Get out of the type of school that teaches you to ask questions and think for yourself. Find one that encourages you not to think for yourself but rather to accept without question somebody elses claims (specifically the claims made by the kind of christianity that runner holds to). Don't ever question conservative christain views on sexuality etc or try and form your own views about the value or otherwise of alternative approaches.

The question is an interesting one. Some would have us believe that all women are degraded by public expressions of sexuality, others think it has no impact. In the middle are those who think it has a lot to do with the makeup of the individuals involved and empowerment or degradation depends on who is doing it and why they do it.

R0bert
Posted by R0bert, Monday, 22 October 2007 11:07:47 AM
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RObert

'In the middle are those who think it has a lot to do with the makeup of the individuals involved and empowerment or degradation depends on who is doing it and why they do it.'

I think it's easy for men to make this observation and I agree it does on the surface seem a reasonable position to take. It is different when you are a member of the group under discussion. Just as moderate and progressive muslims for example are affected by the negative stereotyping of the broader group of muslims, so too is the image of women as a group affected very much by the actions of the various sub groups within it. Women have fought long and hard to be taken seriously and to be treated as equals to men and I think you have to be a member of a weaker or minority group to truly understand this struggle. When increasing numbers of women go out of their way to set themselves up as little more than sex objects, it rightly or wrongly reflects on all of us and makes it that much harder for women to rise above that constrictive stereotype that most of us want to shake off.
Posted by Bronwyn, Monday, 22 October 2007 12:00:47 PM
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