Work It, Girl

Like basically every other woman, with the exception of a very few, I have body image issues. I want to lose x-number of pounds and inches, I put off buying clothes until I've lost the weight, and when I look in the mirror I see all the things I want to change. Does this affect my confidence level in other areas of my life? Absolutely. Our society is fraught with stereotypes about women's appearance, and these stereotypes are accepted and even encouraged. If you're overweight there are questions about your discipline and your commitment. If you're underweight it's automatically assumed that you have an eating disorder. And if you're a woman that could grace the covers of a men's magazine, it's assumed that you have genetic good luck, you spend all your time at the gym and tanning and shopping and there's not a whole lot in the intellectual department. Learning how to pole dance can change all that.

I haven't been kidnapped by misogynistic men who have convinced me that dancing like a stripper and swinging around a pole is the key to self-esteem and confidence. No, Sheila Kelley did that. You may have heard of Sheila Kelley's S Factor workout. It's been on Oprah a few times and stars like Teri Hatcher and Kate Hudson use it to tighten and tone their bodies for the camera's harsh eye. Now Chicago has its own S Factor. I sat down with Sheila before Tuesday's Introductory classes in a mirror-less studio. She curled up in the chair like a very comfortable cat, with the same look of self-satisfaction but with a much, much more approachable demeanor than your average feline. She very quickly dismissed the notion that S Factor is a "silly stripper class." Instead, she said "it is taking the organic exotic movement {of a woman's body} and turning that natural beautiful movement into a workout that really celebrates the feminine." Of course there's been resistance, especially since she was the first to start this movement.

"I started 8 years ago before there was anything such as a pole dancing class or a strip class or burlesque class, and people were just {sharp intake of breath} 'oh my God!' but you know, I knew how great I felt after doing the film 'Dancing at the Blue Iguana.' I had been a dancer all my life but I had never in my life done the kind of moves that I had to do in that film and it just blew my whole world up. It changed my body. I've never been in better shape, I've never had stronger core muscles, I've never felt more beautiful, sexier, or more energetic, and I just knew that it was right. I didn't care that there was a backlash, and I didn't care that the backlash was from conservatives or Christian rights or old school feminists. It came from all angles. It was like 'what are you doing.' Well, I'm doing something really natural and beautiful and you should try it before you knock it, because you don't know what I'm doing."

The core concept of S Factor is that a woman's body is inherently powerful and sensual and a thing of beauty, and we should own that power.

"I analogize women's sensual power, the power of fluid movement, to a man's physical strength. It's a God-given gift. Men are given this power and it's very sexy and it's very trendy in our society, you know football, basketball, baseball, boxing, it's accepted by everybody. Our natural gift of sensual, fluid movement is relegated to strip clubs or to some seedy, sleazy, studio. It's not something that's been elevated and heightened and aggrandized and worshiped the way it should be. It's a natural gift of the feminine, and {S Factor is about} really just exploding it and exploring it and celebrating it.

As an actress, Sheila's spent years in an industry where physical beauty is of the utmost importance. She said she heard horrible things in meetings that were condoned. One particular comment that really got to her was when a producer said "She just doesn't arouse me."

"Not only do I have to be a brilliant actress but I also have to turn this gross ugly old producer on?"

She doesn't just think it's Hollywood that treats women as objects. It's society in general.

"The harshness with which we treat women is just a shame. It's just wrong. I just want more women to speak up and say this is wrong"

It may seem like a contradiction, but Sheila's workout aims to help women break out of the role as object by learning moves that are typically seen as objectifying women. Pretty heavy stuff for a workout. Except she's right. I took one of the introductory classes. The sheer physical workout is tough. Stretching and contorting to accentuate my natural curves is not something I've done since I taught ballroom dance over a decade ago, and using my own body as resistance has left me with sore, achy muscles all over. The mental aspect, however, is even tougher. The instructor expects you to rub your hands over yourself - yes, over the love handles and the cellulite and the jiggly bits - and love all of it. All those parts we've loved to hate are now supposed to be seen as powerful and sensual.

"It's about helping women to see their bodies the way men do, which is in awe. It's like our bodies are walking miracles, and they're capable of the most extraordinary beautiful and sensual, from a woman's point of view, and sexual, from a man's point of view, movement. All that is right there. You got it, right there (points to me). And we just need to teach you about her. You notice there are no mirrors. When you see you judge, when you see you think, and when you think you push your body around. Your body will respond like a good little puppy, and in this place you can shut the f*(& up and let your body just revel, and not be judged, and not be criticized, and not be challenged, and not be competed with, because every woman who walks in that door has her own unique beauty and that's what it brings to the forefront."

During the workout, I stretched and writhed and caressed myself surrounded by a room full of women pushing their own boundaries. At first, of course, we all felt pretty self-conscious, but the lighting was dimmer than a yoga studio and after awhile I just concentrated on the music, the instructor's voice, and the movement. I grew more and more comfortable and less judgmental. Every now and then we'd be prompted to let out a "whoo!" and each time we got a little louder. By the time we got to swing around a pole we were hooting and hollering each other on like a bunch of frat boys trying to get a pledge to go streaking. How do you get a group of women - fat, skinny, short, tall, limber, stiff, young, old - to smack their own fannies and move their bodies in a way they've been taught only "bad girls" do? I asked my good friend Teresa Hill. She accompanied me to the class and is a certified hypnotist and talked about their use of guided imagery and visualization.

"I was not only impressed with the completeness of the physical workout, but also the mental techniques that were used to guide us through the movements as well as boost our self-esteem."

The women who left the class that evening were different than the ones who entered. When ours was finished, another was waiting in the entry. Even if it weren't for the glistening sweat the difference was obvious. We were grinning and excited and had a presence of self-confidence. I was off to see some friends I hadn't seen in awhile, and even though I'd gained some weight since our last visit, I felt sexier and more confident than ever. Sheila believes that S Factor is the "Holy Grail of Femininity." Darlin', I am happy to drink from that cup. Sheila Kelley's S Factor 1400 W Hubbard St (312)492-7596 Classes are $440 for 8 weeks. DVDs and book available.