Pole Dance Addiction Blackburn defends move to start classes for kids as young as 10
A Blackburn pole dancing studio has been widely condemned after introducing classes for girls as young as 10, with one horrified mum saying they “objectify young girls” and it’s “not a sport”.
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A Blackburn pole dancing studio has been forced to take down advertising for its classes for girls and boys as young as 10 after it was hit with a barrage of criticism, including violent threats and abusive messages.
Pole Dance Addiction has even changed the times of the classes, fearing physical confrontations with objectors on the back of the overwhelmingly negative response.
But the mum of a 10-year-old girl featured in advertising for the classes, has defended her decision to let her daughter participate.
The studio’s post advertising its pole classes for 10 to 16 year olds went viral across the social media platform almost as soon as it went up last week, shared and condemned by political campaigners as far away as the US.
The studio was slammed with an influx of “violent, threatening and crude messages”, according to owner Melissa Comb, and removed the ad less than two hours after it was posted.
Among online critics was an Australian group against sexualisation of girls, Collective Shout.
Collective Shout campaign manager Caitlin Roper told the Leader encouraging girls to take up pole dancing was sexualising girls.
“While some push to legitimise pole dancing as a sport, it cannot be separated from its association with the sex industry,” she said.
The mother of the girl featured in the ad, who would not be named in order to protect her daughter’s identity, defended the classes and said pole dancing was a sport.
“I know my child and I know that the classes are right for her, that is all that is important to me,” she said.
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She said her active daughter had been asking to do pole dancing classes for a long time, and had been even more passionate about doing them after seeing pole dancer Kristy Sellars performing on Australia’s Got Talent.
“This was another activity on her wish list and as long as she is into health and fitness I will support her,” she said.
“The classes are pitched perfectly at her age group with qualified instructors who are focused on health, safety and wellbeing.”
Ms Comb said the studio was confident in its decision to offer the classes, but was concerned for the mental health and the welfare of the child in the ad being shared.
The studio is still holding the youth classes, which were due to start on Monday, October 21, but Ms Comb said the times previously advertised had been changed.
“We were concerned that the violent abusive messages may result in physical conflict at the studio and we wanted to keep children away from any such issues,” she said.
This is the first time the studio has offered the youth classes, but Ms Comb said the idea of classes for children definitely wasn’t new or unique, with pole dancing increasingly recognised as a sport.
Ms Comb said Pole Dance Addiction introduced the youth course after a series of requests from parents and had enough enrolments to run a class before the Facebook ad was posted, but had received extra inquiries in the short time it was online.
She said while the studio offered some classes featuring more exotic dance styles, the children’s classes were “completely age-appropriate” and children were not allowed in the studio during the adult classes.
Ms Comb said the classes were all inclusive, open to boys and girls, just like children’s gymnastics or swimming classes.
Ms Comb said she invited any parents to supervise their child participating in a free trial class.
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But the idea of the classes has received local backlash as well as online fury.
Several concerned parents have contacted Leader about the classes.
Blackburn South’s Sarah Santilli said as a mother of two girls she was outraged and shocked children as young as 10 could take pole dancing classes.
“I think it’s quite degrading,” she said.
“There’s so many other ways young girls can keep fit.”
Ms Santilli said she had several friends who were also shocked and thought the concept was revolting.
Blackburn South’s Natalie Blair said she was opposed to the classes being held in the area.
“It’s being portrayed as a sport but it’s not a sport,” she said.
“It’s objectifying young girls.”
Ms Blair said she was concerned the studio was located in an industrial area, dominated by men, where the girls would be wearing “the tiny, skimpy little suits”.
She said she was also concerned about the photos of the children in the outfits being posted on social media.