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Permalink Reply by Casey Taylor on August 14, 2012 at 12:47pm

I was light-up hoopin @ AllGood, an older  guy actually tried to hand me four ones and flashed me 2 fifty dollar bills... told me he wanted a "private show"....Gross, i was in tank top and shorts! HOOP-SPACE you freak!!!

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Permalink Reply by Annahoops on August 14, 2012 at 2:04pm

I had a guy try and kiss me once.  I think the best thing to do is to pretend they are not there when you cant move.  They want you to look at them. Creeps

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Permalink Reply by Amanda Nimmer on August 14, 2012 at 2:52pm

this has to be one of my biggest pet peaves, i don't perform but even if i go to a park, there are a lot of drinkers where i live and i always have drunk old men asking to use my hoop and watching me. 

i don't have any suggestions for you because covering up too much could make it hard to grip...

hm, good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Niisha Doodle on August 14, 2012 at 3:43pm

I had a guy ask me to marry him. So creepy xD

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StudentPermalink Reply by Tink in Tokyo on August 14, 2012 at 5:38pm

People have all sorts of motivations for watching, and some of them are sexual or deviant or obsessive. Being the unwilling object of those thoughts can be unnerving and it happens no matter what you are wearing. Hoop in a floor-length gypsy skirt and a sweater and it will incite fantasies in someone, I assure you.

Your choices on what to do vary depending on the environment and the creeper. On the tiny go-go hoop stage, or in any other performance situation, you're going to have to do your best to put it out of your mind. If something happens after the show, then you can choose to react. But while performing, perform for the people who adore you. Even the creeps.

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Permalink Reply by Jade Lilian White on August 14, 2012 at 5:59pm

The sick thing is, they think you're doing it for them. So they think you want them near. They have this fantasy that no matter how old they are, young attractive women will still want them. Men are all the same. No matter what age. 

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Permalink Reply by Mina Bear on August 15, 2012 at 10:47am

hooping is just sexy, its as simple as that. I have definitely had my boyfriend tell me how good Ive looked hoopin before. You gotta realize you're workin those hips and thangs ;] lol

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Permalink Reply by Kassi Hartman on August 25, 2012 at 5:56pm

In my experience anytime I'm doing something unusual I attract attention of all kinds, positive, negative, and curious. Most is positive and curious, but those few negatives sure stand out.

I like how the hoop itself functions as a physical boundary. I have had drunk guys try to approach me and rebound lightly off the spinning hoop. It's been perfect because it's enough to deter them but not enough to piss them off, y'know?

Also the nice thing about drawing a lot of attention: other people are watching too. So if a guy tries to get up in my space and I call him on it, others are paying attention and can help (or call for help) better than if I was alone somewhere with that person. So I remember I'm not alone, I'm prepared to speak up early and loudly if someone physically invades my boundaries, and other than that I concentrate on the hoop and the feelings and the music. Blocking out unwanted attention is counterintuitive for me, instinct screams beware, but with practice and self-reassurance that I'm not alone (and if I am, I leave pretty quick!), it gets easier.

~Kassi

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StudentPermalink Reply by Ayla Hammons on August 25, 2012 at 6:59pm

While its definately not ok to be objectifying women. I think hoopers forget how freaking sexy hooping is. Nothing you can do will stop how hot you look while spinning. So I guess what I'm saying is ya, some guys definately take it waaay to far, and should be put in their place. But Don't get offended just because some one thinks you look sexy. Your body is moving in a sexual way, you're manipulating an object in a way they probably have never seen done before.

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