Is Pole Dancing a Sport?

pole dancer and stockingsby Andrada, Romania 

Located in the London suburbs, the International Pole Sports Federation is trying to disembarrass "pole sports" from its association with strip clubs and find a way to include it in the Olympics. This is not surprising to happen because a similar attempt was made in 2012 but it has not been successful.

What makes pole dancing currently so controversial is its unavoidable dimly lit undertones, in spite of the fact that they banned pole dancing staples such as removing pieces of clothing. Other steps taken towards being taken seriously as a sport include giving technical code names for moves and specifying strict scoring rules based on their difficulty. Although some dancers may argue that regimentation has gone to the point of taking the fun out of it, people are still reluctant to the idea of it becoming an Olympic sport.

jan_irvine_pole_dancerIts origins, however, are not what you might expect. Swinging around vertical poles and ropes has been around since the 12th century when Mallakhamb was introduced in India as an exercise for male wrestlers. Surely enough pole dancing is still regarded as a form of exercise, as it requires strength, flexibility and endurance.  In addition to improving physical fitness, pole dancing is also used by women to build up confidence.

Undoubtedly, pole dancing is becoming more and more popular. With appearances in films such as Desperate Housewives and The View, increasingly more celebrities (Jessica Alba, Demi Moore, Britney Spears, to name a few) practice it on a daily basis. Pole dancing, after all, is no longer a show for men as it is a way for women to achieve something for themselves. Only time will tell if it’ll succeed becoming an Olympic game.

 

 

 

Vera Wylde and Her Tips for Crossdressers

Vera Wylde

Vera Wylde is one of my most favourite crossdressers to watch on Youtube.  Even though I am a genetic woman myself, I always had that question of “How do they do it?” when looking at a beautiful drag queen on stage.

One time in Toronto I saw a feminine apparition like that at the Pride Parade and I was amazed by her grace to the point that I asked her if I could kiss her hand.  She let me!  Really don’t know if she expected a gesture of this sort from a woman, especially a straight woman, who knows.

Vera in her Youtube show reveals many secrets of how dressers can pull it off so well.  Here are some that I find especially entertaining.

Breast Inserts

The general rule of thumb is that if it has breasts, it’s a woman!  It’s like a badge of femininity.  Actually not only dressers have the challenge of creating breasts.  There are women who are flat chested, but don’t look like that because of all the padding and silicone breast forms that they insert in their bra.

Vera mentions breast forms as a more feasible option to fill the bra, create a cleavage without looking like a caricature.  But she warns you that it may be expensive!  You can see some examples at this breast form store that sells them so realistic that they even have a nipple.  Vera recommends to acquire a pair because otherwise the clothes just doesn’t fit properly – she already owns two sets herself.

You can watch the video below where she talks about some tips and points out technical details that she discovered for herself, like why an insert that was supposed to be cup D ended up fitting like cup C.  For most of us it’s probably a surprise that such inserts even exist.

Hosiery

Vera also touched on the topic of hosiery: knee highs, stockings, stay ups, pantyhose.  For most of you this is pretty basic information, however I must admit I’ve never seen anyone roll on stockings before.  I bunch mine up in my hands and slowly release it as I pull it on.

Her preference is stockings over pantyhose because she doesn’t like the constricting feeling on the top.  She would rather wear a garter belt to hold up her stocking.  In one of her stage performances she even dances around in a corset and stockings held up by a 6 strap garter belt.

High Heels

Walking on high heels is a challenge that not only cross dressers experience.  When I lived in Toronto, I remember laughing every time I’d go to a club.  Young women there would get a tipsy and begin to wobble off the dance floor, grabbing on walls and bystanders, trying not to fall off those stiletto heels or lose a shoe all together.

Vera mentions that it is better to buy a shoe that has a thicker heel and a strap on the top.  That type of shoe looks like a tango shoe and that strap makes it so much more comfortable to wear.  This is a perfect shoe for women like described above who don’t want to end up walking around barefoot by the end of the party.  A sky high heel shoe just will look comical on a person who can’t walk on it.

Vera Wylde recently started a form of Q & A called “Dear Vera”.  So if you have a question for her, feel free to ask her.  She is a very unique individual with a lot of insight on the subject and she also runs a blog.  Maybe some day I’ll get lucky and have a chance to watch her perform on stage or even meet in person.

“The Muse” painting by Stanislav Plutenko

СтÐ°Р“ђВЅГђВёГ‘ВЃГђ»Р“С’°Р“С’Р’Р† ГђЕёГђ»Р“‘ƒÑ‚ÐµР“ђВЅГђВєГђВѕ - ГђЕ“Г‘Ж’Гђ·Р“С’° - ГђВґГђµР“ђВІГ‘Ж’Г‘Л†ГђВєГђВё ГђВІ чуÐ»Р“ђВєГђ°Р“‘… Ñ‚Ð°Р“ђВЅГ‘†ÑƒÑŽÑ‚ с Г‘Л†ГђµР“‘Ñ‚ом

This painting is called “The Muse” and it is by the Russian artist, Stanislav Plutenko.  Girls in stockings is the main focus, but if you look at the background, you can see in what detail he painted the men watching – each one of them has his own character, his own story.

http://www.plutenko.ru/

White Pantyhose in a Club – Weird?

woman in white pantyhose in a club - weird and rare sightWell, well, I didn’t expect to see that.  I went to a club to watch international DJ competition and I spotted this woman dressed in a vintage apple-print dress and white pantyhose.

She was also wearing glasses and her dancing very well matched her appearance.  I was surprised with what she was wearing, so I figured I’ll take a photo for you.

On one hand I am amused, but on the other hand I can say that I have respect for this woman.  Her style is very different from the crowd, but she seemed to be quite confident about it. Of course, I was wearing pantyhose too, but mine were dark grey and they blended well with my outfit.

Besides that young woman I don’t remember spotting any other person in pantyhose that tight.

*Friends, the only funding for this blog is from the shop section.  Please indulge your pantyhose obsession and show some support for my work!  Your purchases make this blog possible.*