Charlotte Curle

Research Interests

My current PhD research is centred around the lived experiences of people who engage in pole dance/fitness (polers) for leisure/work in online spaces. My project aims to explore how polers' engagement with digital media challenges definitional boundaries surrounding sex/body work and the significance of this amidst the context of increased regulation of sexual content on digital media platforms. This project is partially inspired by my own experiences as a member at pole studios within Greater Manchester and using digital media to create/share/engage with pole-related content.

My previous work has investigated gendered discourses within reality television and I have an interest in media and cultural studies and feminist theory more broadly. I am a community member with lived experience on Greater Manchester Combined Authority's Gender-Based Violence Board, which aims to address violence against women and girls within the region. I also have a personal blog entitled 'Pole, PTSD and Me', where I've written about a range of different social issues, including mental health, gender-based violence and sex workers' rights.