Children as young as three learning pole dancing
Dance schools in the UK have come under fire for teaching girls as young as three how to pole dance.
They're described as a way for girls to keep fit and learn balance while having fun however some believe they could cause much more harm than good.
According to UK child protection group, Kidscape, they're exposing children to an adult world too early and that it was another indication of the growing sexualisation of children.
"The children will innocently enjoy copying the raunchy moves they learn, but be completely unaware of the sexual messages these send out which inevitably can have dangerous results.
"It is of course very important for children to take exercise and group activities, but why would you package it as pole dancing, something which has overt sexual connotations?
"We need to allow children to be children. The people who started these classes and the parents who take their kids to them need to ask themselves hard questions."
The Daily Mail reports that the teachers and parents of the students disagree.
At the 'Little Spinners' class in North London, parents pay £5 an hour for their daughters to learn pole dancing and instructor Carly Wilford insists it helps the girls keep fit and boost their self-esteem.
At 'Trendy Monkeys' in Essex, the pole dancing classes take place in a room decorated with feather boas and sparkly mirrors.
The children, aged three to seven, learn how to hold their legs in a v-shape while sliding down the pole.
Their website also advertises adult lessons using lingerie clad models and say pole dancing is ‘sexy, relaxing and invigorating’.
One mother, who took her three and five-year-old daughters to the classes, said: ‘The girls love it. But it is not a wise idea to announce at school that you let your children pole dance.’
Miss Wilford from North London said she started classes for youngsters because of demand from their mothers who took classes.
She said pole dancing actually originated from an Indian sport called Malkhamb which feature children and adults performing around a wooden pole.
"They wanted to join in because it is such fun. There is nothing sexual about it. I am trying to remove the stigma from pole dancing and show that it actually helps children keep fit and learn balance, much like gym classes. Nothing has meaning apart from the meaning someone attaches to it."
