brookebergman

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Beauty, Pole Dancing, and Re-claiming the Feminine

Tell me, what else should I have done?

Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?

Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

—Mary Oliver

 

Today I'm sharing one of the ways I have personally learned to love my body--a feminine movement practice that helps me tap into the ancient wisdom of the goddess. This movement has informed my strong statements in my previous blog post about loving your body as she is--if your body is meant to change, she will do so only when you begin to honor her and the story of your life. She does not respond well to attempts to control or shame her (this is why diets always fail). S factor is not *just* about pole dancing, it is about reclaiming the sacredness and the sovereignty of the feminine body. 

For the first of the year, S Factor has done a campaign titled, “Real Bodies of S”—showcasing all the different bodies that come to express themselves in the studio walls.  This campaign visually expresses what I want to convey—unconditional love of your body. We are inundated with images of photo-shopped, young, “perfect” bodies every day. The research about this effect on our self-esteem is stunning (when western media is introduced to cultures that were previously untouched, eating disorders and other serious body image problems develop in the girls).  We are told that to be active, beautiful, or sexy, we must look a certain way or be a certain size.  I have learned—through this movement practice and my work as a therapist—that your beauty comes from expressing your deepest truth, your real Self. When you step into the truth of who you are, you are captivating.

For more on what I had to say, read here: https://sfactor.com/blog/