#MySkyeBody Conversations - Jada Hudson
In February 2015, Jada founded Curvy Girls Pole, a blog and social media community dedicated to celebrating how limitless, empowering, and inspiring that curvy pole athletes are. Since its inception, Curve Girls Pole has grown into a sisterhood of women supporting women that extends beyond the U.S. borders. Recognizing additional needs in the fitness community, in June 2017, she launched Curvy Fit - the first clothing line made exclusively for plus size pole dancers and in December 2017, she launched the Femme Fatale: Unleash your Inner Vixen series - dance classes dedicated to building confidence and celebrating the bodies of ALL women.
SKYE: What prompted you to step into a pole studio for the first time and give us an idea of the emotions you felt?
Jada: I took my first class at Xpose Fitness in September 2014 and I was hooked, but not for the reason you may think. It was fun, it didn't feel like a workout which was great because I hate to workout. I was nervous, but so were the other students which made it easier and I got to learn some cool beginner moves. What blew my mind and sealed the deal forever for me was my plus size pole instructor, Christal! After class, she was demonstrating moves for other students and when I saw her climb that pole and go upside down, I was stunned. I had never seen anything like that before in my life and in that moment, I thought, "I want to be just like her when I grow up!"
Top: Hilary - BORACAY. Cover up: Joelle - EXUMA.
SKYE: How has pole fitness helped your journey body positivity?
Jada: Pole has helped me get to know my body in unimaginable ways. I'm still shocked by how strong I've become and what I'm able to do now in contrast to when I started. My growth and progress in pole has also skyrocketed my confidence and I've discovered that your body is limitless with consistency and the right training.
SKYE: What do you think is the key to self-acceptance?
Jada: We're humans and fallible and cloudy days are inevitable. For me, I saw the best results when I began having an honest desire to grow and improve physically and mentally. I faced a lot of hard truths about myself, I realized that the only person I can control is me, I started focusing more on the role that I played in situations instead of blaming things on others, and most importantly, I started recognizing and celebrating the things that make me uniquely me and committed myself to being in control of my happiness.
Top: Hilary - BORACAY. Cover up: Joelle - EXUMA.
SKYE: What inspired you to put yourself out there on social media?
Jada: My personal Instagram page (@I_am_couture) has always been public, and when I started pole fitness, I was so excited to be learning new things and I wanted to share everything. That excitement completely clouded any fear of internet trolls. I didn’t even consider random people commenting rude or harsh things about me on my photos and videos, I just wanted to share what I was learning and hopefully inspire others to try pole too. Some people are just impossible to please but despite the trolls it’s beautiful to see the power of community and support.
SKYE: How has social media affected your journey both positively and negatively?
Jada: Social media is where I first started creating the Curvy Girls Pole community, so I love that it’s a place that fosters that. I also love being able to follow women who are out here killing it in pole, fitness, fashion, and business and be inspired by them. On the negative end, seeing all of these women with surgical enhancements as the new standard of beauty can sometimes be intimidating. Overall, the good outweighs the bad and I’ve met some incredible women all over the world through social media. People that I may not have ever had the pleasure of meeting otherwise.
Click here to follow Jada's journey on Instagram (@I_am_couture)
