In something that is really barely stripper news, Shakira’s video for “Rabiosa,” has her doing some poledancing, OMG. The first segment, where she’s sliding down the pole in a spin, got me excited because I thought she was really going to bring out some serious polework, but no. Mostly she just does her sexy Shakira thing; she’s not trying to be Felix Cane (if you don’t know who that is, click on that link now). The split she drops into at the end is quite impressive, though.
I don’t really know what to say about the stripper pole in popular culture at this point. While still the same “wild girl!” shorthand that it was in 1994, it seems like it might be completely denatured as a symbol of bad behavior by this point. Strippers should be glad for every last scrap of scandal and deviance clinging to our accoutrements, since the thong and platform heel, once only used by the professionally tarty, have been so thoroughly absorbed by civilian women. Soon the only difference between us and chicks at the club will be the fact that we charge money, and that only works to our advantage with about half of our audience.
I don’t listen to her music much any more, but I think I like this song. And her thighs.
I am of the opinion that there will always be a hint of the dangerous with seeing sex workers, no matter what the occupation, so don’t worry! Those civilian ladies who strip at the local bar/club because they have desk jobs and need to unwind on a Friday night with the girls while drinking more liquor than any 140lb woman should consume in a week won’t be stealing your shine anytime soon.