As amusing as it is to poke fun at the prudish outrage people used to have about exposed ankles and the tame swimwear of decades past, we’d be lying if we said we’ve completely exorcised similar sentiments in modern society.
We may not get arrested for wearing skimpy outfits or having a titillating profession nowadays, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get judged as harshly for doing so as those in our grandparents’ generation did.
But as true as that may be, we can find that there are communities out there who do get it and are just as happy and open-minded about all the ways we can express ourselves as we are.
And while it’s a major relief when that support comes from within our families, one surprisingly sweet video shows that it can also come from the places we least expect.
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After four years of training her body, Embla Bergli of Oslo, Norway left her job as a software manager to become a professional pole dancer.
As she told Insider, “I was starting to get bored of my 9 to 5 life, and pole dancing had become a great passion of mine. I want to follow my dream while I’m still young and go all in to see where it takes me.”
And while it’s largely taken her to parties and events thrown for younger crowds, that changed in April when her mother asked her to perform at the Majorstuen Seniorarena senior center.
Bergli captured the event in a TikTok video released on April 7, saying, “And let me tell you; they loved it.”
Indeed, it doesn’t take long to see that for ourselves as after she finished doing her thing, her video showed some of her audience members trying out the pole for themselves.
And while some of them tried out some dances of their own, others like this man were content to adorably swing around it.
And it soon became clear exactly how much her audience appreciated the fun Bergli brought into their lives that day.
As we can see here, she even ended up signing autographs for some of the folks who participated.
As she said, “It was a very cool experience and different from other places I usually perform at.”
As for why her mom recommended her, Bergli said she wanted this center’s members to have enough fun at their spring party to make up for the fact that their Christmas gathering was cancelled due to the pandemic.
And it sounds like Bergli were just as happy to meet them as they were to see her.
In her words, “They were more playful, grateful, eager than most crowds, and sober. Many of them asked if I can come back and teach them some moves.”
Although many of the members aren’t internet users, they were also very excited to see themselves star in a viral TikTok.
Sounds like her mom had some good instincts.
h/t: Insider
