While many believe pole dancing requires a skinny body, that narrative is being challenged as more and more plus-sized women are participating.
Chen Jiening, a 28-year-old kindergarten teacher, started taking pole dancing lessons at the end of 2019.
In her first class, which was full of slender women, she was afraid of what others might think of her body or if the pole could take her weight. However, they were very welcoming and encouraging, she told 8world in a recent interview.
Since pole dancing involves carrying one’s entire weight, Jiening said the difficulty of learning lies in individual muscle mass and strength.
For Jiening, some skills were harder to learn than others — it took her an entire year of practice to do a handstand.
She said: “A very slender girl doesn’t necessarily have the same strength as us, people of different body types have different beauty.”
Jiening also posted clips of her pole dancing on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, to record her progress.
This quickly made her a target of mockery in April last year, where she received comments like “Eh, the pole so strong? It can carry such a heavy person”.
Jiening’s Journey to Self‑Acceptance
From Harsh Criticism to Fierce Confidence
Jiening used to feel like she was being watched by a bunch of unfriendly critics. “I’m just posting videos of what I like to do. Why do strangers have to leave comments or criticise me?” she said, feeling the weight of her family’s discomfort about the content.
- Not only did she unplug from the digital noise, she also carried a scar from childhood bullying—she was once a victim of body‑shape teasing and low self‑esteem.
- But then a twist of fate occurred: a simple line of dance rope and the whisper of a pole changed her perspective.
How Pole Dancing Became a Healing Tool
In time, Jiening found that the bigger the pole, the smaller the doubt. Her new mantra: “Pole dancing lets me relieve stress, memorize moves, and revel in graceful motion. No matter what anyone else thinks, what matters is loving what you see in the mirror.”
Her teacher, Zhang Fangfang, chipped in: “Pole dancing isn’t just a performance—it’s an artform, a workout, and a confidence builder for anyone willing to try.”
When the Community Steps In
In 2021, two daring pole performers—Shermin Lim and Phoebe Chew—offered a project called Beautiful Inspiring Girls (BIG), aiming to lift women of all shapes and sizes onto the pole. They wanted to prove that a pole isn’t just for slender figures.
- Plus–size? Absolutely. No form fits the pole and the journey to better self‑image.
- Jiening’s experience, and BIG’s philosophy together, give proof that real fitness transcends body shape.
Why It Matters
When body‑shapes are celebrated on a pole, self‑love gains momentum—and so does the joy of becoming the best version of yourself.
