Are you a pole dancer looking to buy her first pair of pole dancing heels? Or a non-poler (a.k.a. a muggle) wondering why in the hell we all wear heels? You’re in luck: this post will hopefully answer all your questions.
Pole Dance Shoes Are Stripper Shoes
The pole dance industry, which has seen many past strippers open studios and create a new form of culture inspired by strippers and the strip club, owes a lot to sex workers. Pole dance shoes are one of those characteristics that wouldn’t have been there without strippers – so it’s important to acknowledge that when we’re talking about pole dance shoes, we’re really talking about stripper shoes, now made ‘mainstream’ by the pole industry’s wide adoption of them and by celebrities wearing them.
Read more about this in my Q&A with the East London Strippers Collective.
Why Do Pole Dancers Wear Heels?
Now that we’ve established where the shoes you see pole dancers wear come from, let’s talk about why pole dancers wear stripper shoes.
1) Because we fucking want to. I have heard people say they feel “forced” to wear heels to do pole and I hope they change their minds soon, cause pole for me is about freedom, and about being you, so if you wanna wear sneakers, ballet shoes, no shoes, unicorn slippers, be my guest. Just don’t wear Crocs cause I’m pretty sure that’s a crime against fashion everywhere.
2) Pole dancers wear heels because they add flare to a dance routine. Things like heel bangs or the now incredibly popular edgework add accents and quirks to your performance.
3) Pole-specific heels are safer to wear than normal heels, as they allow for better balance when executing complex movement. This is because the heels’ anatomy, explained and named by Tiff Finney below, allows for moves that “normie” heels won’t allow you to do safely.
4) They protect your feet in moves like kips and drops, which can be more painful and dangerous without stripper shoes.
5) If you travel on the platform, they create that beautiful flow that makes you look like you’re flying.
6) Heels make your legs look great, and they turn you into the equivalent of a pole dancing Xena. If you don’t believe me, think that there is a huge difference between me in heels and me without heels. When I’m wearing heels, I can pretend I’m a badass, towering glamazon…
Without heels, well… this picture speaks for itself.
7) Pole-specific heels are lighter and better balanced than normal heels thanks to their platform, so you’ll find yourself not wanting to walk in other heels ever again.
Where Can I Buy Pole Dance Shoes?
Brand-wise, Pleaser Shoes used to be the leaders in the market. They were the classic stripper shoes, worn by dancers and sex workers. A lot of brands that have subsequently decided to make pole shoes own their designs and inspiration to Pleasers – and therefore to strippers.
Pleasers can be found all over the Internet, from Amazon to Ebay. I got my red 9 Inch Infinity Pleasers (in the UK) from Footwear Fetish, who were kind enough to gift me this gorgeous pair of boots.
I found these guys responsive and professional. They have all types of shoes, including vegan ones if you’re so inclined. My shoes arrived on the same week as my order and the customer service was very attentive. I’d recommend checking pole forums to see if there are brands you should avoid.
*Update
Sadly, as of 2020, a variety of dancers have found the quality of Pleasers to be declining, and there were concerns among the sex worker community that they were being erased in favour of “pole fitness”.
Because of this, consider this post, which was written in 2018, as a guide to pole heels for rookies. Check my more recent reviews and my Instagram to see the shoes and brands I’m currently supporting.
I’ve Never Danced In Heels. What Should I Buy If I’m A Beginner?
I’d recommend starting with 6 inch (12 cm) or 7″ inch (about 15 cm) heels. When you’ll feel more confident you can go up to 10s. My personal favourite is 8″ (20.23cm), because their weight, shape and look suits my body and my movement more – I find 9″ heels WAAAAY to heavy to have fun, but maybe I’m just a baby.
Shoes or Boots?
I started with clear 6inch ankle strap Pleasers and almost immediately sold them. Maybe I’ve got sweaty feet, but I found that the clear shoe made my toes slip out immediately! Plus, they lasted very little because no matter how much I washed them, the clear bits of the shoes would never look as good as new.
I used to say I was a boots girl, and I get why I felt like that. Boots support your ankles a lot more especially if you’re looking to do more advanced tricks or if you’re walking a lot in your routine. They also cover your toes for drops and heel bangs.
However, depending on their length (ankle, knee or thigh high) they can look real glam but be a ball ache when you’re sliding down the pole – making that awks latexy slidey sound. Not fun if you’re doing more than floorwork.
I’m now leaning more towards sandals, because they make my legs look longer and because they strengthen my ankles. I really love some of mine, like these below, and they are definitely cheaper than boots, which can be pricey (e.g. above £80 as opposed to some shoes costing £60 or less):
In short, choose your heels according to your performance or routine!
But I Can’t Even Walk in Heels!
Don’t worry – neither could I before I bought them. Not properly. But one of the great things about pole is that some of your teachers will tell you and show you how to walk in heels.
One of my teachers, the amazing Josh Taylor, once told us he did a workshop with strippers who said they learnt how to walk in heels by doing the house chores in them. So that’s what I did. To this day, when I buy higher heels than I’m used to, I cook and clean in them to get used to them. It helps, and now I can walk, twerk, death and split drop in them.
I’m A Boy (or identify as a boy). Should I Bother With Heels?
Depends on your style! Whatever you’ve got down there (or whatever you identify as) shouldn’t determine whether you wear heels or not.
If you’re more into dramatic/contemporary pole, heels are not commonly used for those routines. If your routines are sexier, more out there, then you might want to try heels. Try dancing by yourself or doing an Insta search to see who inspires you, what music you like dancing to, and then try and match your look/outfit to that. The videos above are just some recommendations by amazing dancers – two of whom taught me a few times. I’m a lucky gal.
Essentially, for me pole styles shouldn’t be about identifying with any or a particular gender, but about how you like to dance!
So Should You Get Some Strippers Heels?
HELL YES. I’d say you can never go wrong by buying a pair of stripper heels – unless you have to choose between pole shoes and food, of course. Cause food is always more important.
But anyway, I always recommend trying a pair. If you don’t like them, you don’t need to buy them anymore and if you like them… welcome to the Shoe Addict Club.
FYI: this post was strictly about pole dancing shoes, but if you want to know more about pole dance in general, read my post about that here.
[…] High heels help you engage your leg muscles way better AND they’re sexy AF. They make lovely sounds when they clap. They make you feel gorgeous, enhance your moves and are heavier to lift when you go upside down, challenging your core strength even more. Most pole dancers buy Pleaser Shoes and my birthday is on 9 December, and I’m an American Size 9, a UK 6 and a EU 39-40 in case you want to make a pole dancer happy (WINK WINK). Also, I’m not one of those people who don’t like surprises so if you want to surprise me outside my birthday, be my guest. But anyway, if you want to read more about pole dancing shoes, click on my post about them here. […]
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