Xpose Fitness

At work today, my co-worker gave me a coupon for her "gym."  I had mentioned that I needed to find one since my boyfriend is moving out of his apartment and into his first house so I'll lose access to his community fitness center.  My co-worker said that she had gone to this great place back in the day and was just starting up again and she thought I would really enjoy it.  When I looked at the coupon, I realized it was for a place called Xpose Fitness.

The whole point behind the Fitness Center is to tone your body through Pole and Exotic Dancing routines.  It mixes Pilate's, yoga, and other traditional routines with these routines for a total body workout.  My co-worker said that she had a new respect for the women that could pole dance as it requires one to lift one's own body weight.  I can barely do a chin-up let alone any fancy dancing on a pole, so I can understand her sentiment on this.  However, I just don't think it's for me.

I am not that confident in my own body to parade around in a class doing suggestive dance moves.  It could definitely help with my flexibility and could help create a certain sense of confidence, but I just don't think I'd be comfortable doing that.  Though, I'd be lying if I said that there wasn't a small part of me that was intrigued by the idea.

I am also curious as to what a feminist would think of it.  Not say that I am not a feminist and don't feel women should be equal, etc., but I don't know that I would label myself as a feminist.  Part of me wonders if this type of fitness routine plays into the whole Angel in the Kitchen, Devil in the Bedroom Stereotype.  And the other part of me thinks that this is a way to reclaim something that exploits women for their own sort of benefit.  But then again, is it playing into that whole set of "Hollywood" criteria that women have to be really fit and a little bit slutty to be seen as sexy?