At the end of the academic summer term 2024, it was brought to my attention that a parent at my school had made a complaint about my social media content, both as an artist and as a woman who chooses pole fitness as her exercise choice.  My choices at the time moving forward were to:

1) take down all pole and painting photos

2) make my business page private

3) change my name online.

It was never a decision for me.  None of those outcomes would have worked.  I'm dedicated, heart and soul, to fighting the paradigms that keep women restrained as submissive, sexualised, second-class citizens.

I was an amazingly inspiring teacher, and I stand proud in my choices.  During my 17 years of teaching, I taught every pupil whom I was lucky enough to meet the importance of self-worth, self-belief, diversity, kindness, inclusivity, and that never hiding themselves is imperative, because their uniqueness is their power.  So, to then hide, dilute or change myself would not have aligned with my core beliefs.

Women’s bodies fall into 2 categories in this world – sexual or shameful.  It is my belief that a woman’s body should fall into a third category: whatever the hell she wants it to be.  Women need autonomy over their own bodies.  A man can show a nipple – a woman cannot.  This is gender inequality at its most potent.  My paintings of naked women with nipples are not sexual. They are empowering.  And I stand by that wholeheartedly.

As for the pole dancing – I have a registered disability and live with chronic pain, so two years ago, when I was told by my physio that I needed to build strength or risk ending up in a wheelchair, I decided to try pole fitness.  Over the last 2 years, my body has been able to grow and move and hold strength positions that I never believed it could.  I can now get out of bed every morning, when before I could not even roll over in bed without searing pain.

My pole journey has taken perseverance, tears, determination and stubbornness as I have chosen every day never to give up.  All transferrable traits that I was proud to teach my children.  So, as with my paintings and my activist beliefs, I stand proud and without shame in my pursuit of enabling my body to be the best it can be.

A parent chose to sexualise MY body and MY choices without MY consent.  This is something that happens EVERY SINGLE DAY to women all over the world.  I fight for gender equality and I fight for the rights of women to show up in their bodies however they choose, and though this event was exceedingly traumatic (and still is), I will never minimise myself, compromise my beliefs or be silent in the face of sexual discrimination.