Thanks to the reader who tipped us off to the Flirty Girl Fitness workout system, which allows you to join in the pole dancing workout trend right in your own home. Why waste your time doing unalluring exercises like running or lifting weights when you could be giving your body a makeover with workouts based on "the world’s sexiest dance moves, from music videos, club dancing, even exotic dancing?" Check out the commercial below to learn how you can liberate yourself from non-sexy workouts, or check out their website to order your own pole, feather boa, and lap dance-inspired workouts for just $259.94.

Actually, when searching Nexis for "pole dancing workout" and "men," one discovers that pole-dancing studios and classrooms have a "no men" policy. The women don't want to be gawked at or made to feel uncomfortable, because, you know, wrapping yourself around a metal pole is a totally natural female impulse but private, mmkay?

In the CNN story, a nurse named Cicely Rogers, who goes to PoleLaTeaz in Atlanta says: "I started last August and I've gone down two dress sizes. I've lost 20 pounds and I feel awesome." Learning pole tricks "made me feel better about my body. I used to be nervous about my body and try to hide it. Now I'm a lot more open and confident. I stand up straight and feel good about myself." Would she feel fit and confident if she'd been jogging for a year? Or rowing? Or playing tennis? Or doing yoga?

What is with the obsession with pole dancing? Does the media love an "edgy" story about a housewife getting all sweaty while wrapping her legs around a phallic column because we're all conditioned to love a lady in the street who's a freak in the bed? Or is this just good "reporting" on a "trend" ?

Pole Dancing Helps Strip Off Pounds [CNN]
Earlier: Kim Kardashian's 9-Year-Old Sister Works A Stripper Pole