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Why Pole Dancing Is My Preferred Form of Self-Expression

Don’t judge me

Terri Huggins Hart
ZORA
4 min readJun 17, 2019

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Credit: Merlas/iStock/Getty Images Plus

I’m a wife, mother of a two-year-old, pregnant with my second child, and I’m a pole dancer.

I’ll never forget the first time I became intrigued by pole dancing. I was 15 years old, Usher’s biggest fan, and captivated by some of the dancers in his concert. While the world saw something erotic and provocative, I saw beauty, strength, and art. At the time, I didn’t dare ask my parents if I could look into classes because I was convinced they saw what everyone else did: classless girls who didn’t respect their bodies and had been reduced to a man’s eye candy.

Ten years later, I finally enrolled in a class and became hooked. I loved everything about it: the variations from Chinese pole to choreography with heels, various spins, and low-flow classes. I became obsessed with watching my body transform into a muscular powerhouse as well as the sense of community the activity provided. And though my takeaway wasn’t sexual pleasure, I even became comfortable with touching myself and exploring my body as I became lost in the music. It was a hobby that quickly became my passion and preferred form of self-expression.

While the world saw something erotic and provocative, I saw beauty, strength, and art.

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ZORA
ZORA

Published in ZORA

A publication from Medium that centers the stories, poetry, essays and thoughts of women of color.

Terri Huggins Hart
Terri Huggins Hart

Written by Terri Huggins Hart

Leading with love in everything I do. Writing words about relationships, wellness and wealth. www.terrificwords.com

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