Pole-Dancing Parties Catch on in Book Club Country

From the headline I expected this NYT article to reveal a new spin on the nerdy book nook crowd. Consider this: “She wrapped herself around the pole in intriguing ways, then flowed onto the floor like fast honey.” That’s not exactly Wuthering Heights. Oh, Heathcliff!

But the piece reads more like The Theory of the Leisure Class than The Story of O:

Now the pole — think ballet barre turned vertical — is the new star at racier versions of Tupperware parties in well-heeled (if high-heeled) areas like this one in the northwest hills of Morris County, about 33 miles from Manhattan. Billed as “femme empowerment,” such at-home pole dancing lessons are taking place in the realm of book clubs, with mothers — and grandmothers — learning slinky moves for girls’ nights in, bachelorette send-offs, even the occasional 60th birthday celebration.

More on that Great American Folk Dance.

NOTE TO POLE-DANCERS (and CALAMARI LOVERS) EVERYWHERE: Settings are fixed and Comments are On. Still not easy to use in this blog template. Click on 0 Comments at the bottom of the post. It’s lonely musing/ranting all by myself.

BOOK NOOK BONUS: The NYT story quotes the authors of Striptease: The Untold History of the Girlie Show and Better Than I Ever Expected: Straight Talk About Sex After Sixty.