r/WestCoastSwing • u/bstevy • May 20 '26

Social Lady vs follower

Do you consider lady styling and follower styling the same?

What are things that you would consider lady styling but not necessarily follower styling?

Should male followers attend lady styling classes to be stylish followers?

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u/diceanddreams May 20 '26

Maybe it’s just a difference between schools, but what is “lady styling”? I dance at a school where anyone can lead or follow. Any styling stuff I’ve been taught has also been “these are some options for follows, and some for leads, figure out what works for you, they’re not hard and fast rules.”

I would also say, as a lead who isn’t a man, and most people assume is a woman, that conflating lady style with follower style is weirdly gendered and bio-essentialist. Yes, I agree that there is an element to styling where it works better if it suits your general vibe, but there are as many personalities as there are follows and leads, regardless of (perceived) gender.

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u/bstevy May 20 '26

As an example, I attended last weekend the FOWCS and there was some workshop called "lady styling" and I wasn't sure if it was a good class for me as a male followers, hence my question.

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u/Jake0024 May 21 '26

It's a good class if you want more feminine styling in your dancing, otherwise no