I have never been someone who brags about the things I have achieved and it's not really something I talk about much and there are a few reasons why. People my age don't tend to like others that have achieved things they haven't and because pole is so misunderstood plus my life is very busy, that is why I have struggled with friendships. My mum is very proud of me and she would always tell my school when I won a comp and then they would get me up in assembly which didn't help! 2016 was a turning point in my life, most of the kids at school knew I was a pole dancer and this was before I started secondary school.

I had placed 2nd at BPSC and I went on to win the Cheshire Aerial Championship for the pole youth category.

I was asked to be a part of a photo shoot with Wink Fitnesswear when owner Sarah first launched kids sizes in some of the Wink clothing. When mum told me I jumped at the chance as I had also heard that other kids my age will be there too and also be a part of the Wink launch. My mum did my hair and I was having my makeup done when we got there and I felt like a professional model and I was seeing some of the girls I had met before at BPSC.

I have been working with Wink for almost 5 years now, they have watched me grow and guided me and my mum and supported every single decision I have made. I am so lucky to be working with a very successful company I know my mum values Sarah's opinion on everything.

Wink stood out for me right from the word go because it's not just pole and fitness wear, their clothing is unique (a bit like me haha), bright colours and different patterns, long lasting showing enough but not too much and I always feel special in their outfits. No two designs are the same and there is something for everyone all sizes, sexy, sporty, flashy and simple and that is why I love working with Wink.

A few years ago they even brought out a set for me called the 'Mimi' set it is very simple in my favourite colour (purple) with tiny diamanté's of an M with a 'x' just what I had imagined at the time.

I was training as much as I could, progressing and being taught by Ruth and Dan planning on going to represent GB at the worlds.

My mum set up a Facebook page so that other parents of kids all around the world could come together. She met a lady called Jennifer who had a daughter called Paige. She was a little bit older than me but she was quite new to pole and they became great friends even though they lived in America. We actually ended up meeting Paige and her Mom at the worlds as we went to support them along with Aimee Hilton which was so lovely.

Then one day during the Easter holidays the world went crazy as some children had performed at Pole Theatre UK, the newspapers got hold of the story and deemed it as inappropriate. Loose Women talking about it and the next day I found myself on a Skype interview on This Morning with Ruth and Rylan talking or I should say defending kids who do pole fitness.

I guess that was the first time I realised that there was some people that weren't okay with kids doing pole fitness and I couldn't understand why because I loved it so much. I remember hearing the words 'sexualised' and 'kids being sexualised' and I had no idea what that meant at the time. It was then that I realised there was some single minded people who couldn't understand that for me this was fitness, creativity, expression and gymnastic style dance and in my eyes there was nothing sexual about it. 

In my last year at primary school I noticed kids at school were changing towards me. I was asked to perform at the summer fate at school and I still have the video now of a group of girls stood watching me perform whispering to each other and standing and giving me dirty looks. 

It came to the time when I had to decide which secondary school I would go to and my brother had a terrible time with bully's at school, he is not like me at all and sadly when the bully's found out that he had a sister who did pole dancing they were very unkind to him and would use my pole dancing against him. During that time I received some nasty messages from some girls on another persons account calling me a 'dirty pole dancing slut' and I still to this day don't know who sent it.

My mum always had both mine and my brothers backs where bullying was concerned, even knocking on the bully's door to speak to their parents to try and calm the situations and she was in and out of school every week. Luckily when I was about to join the school we had a new head of house (Mr Adams) and my mum had a long conversation with him about me joining the school and what support myself and Josh would get once I joined. Mr Adams said that he would support me fully with everything, letting me have time off for competitions, helping with bullying and back me 100%. He stayed true to his word, Sir, if you are ever reading my blog, you are a legend!

I enjoyed my last summer before secondary school with little freedom as my mum was always panicked that I would get kidnapped and even now has a tracker on me to see where I am, I think it's a little bit extreme but that is the relationship we have, she lets me go out but she knows where I am and that's fair enough.

Like I said before up until that point I didn't have a clue what my mum had battled with since I started learning pole and I will explain that in my next blog.

Thank you for reading.

Mimi xx

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