Pole dancing is an incredibly difficult sport -- and one woman is out to prove that size doesn't matter when it comes to skill.
LuAyne Brown, who goes by the stage name Lulu, is a lifelong cheerleader and dancer who gravitated towards the sport in 2006.
"I'd always wanted to try it, but I was worried about what people would think," she told Closer magazine in 2011. "But when I turned up for my first class and everyone was in stilettos and tiny shorts, regardless their different sizes, I felt a lot better."
She began competing in 2008, undeterred by disparaging comments on her YouTube page.
Brown also auditioned for America's Got Talent in 2012. Though the show's judges passed on her, the experience brought her more online followers and boosted her confidence for other competitions.
Brown, who has been referred to as "the world's heaviest pole dancer," told The Huffington Post in a phone interview that she hopes to spread a body-positive message to women.
"We see so many images of what a body should be," she told HuffPost. "But you should love yourself from day one until your last day."
According to Brown, her size has never restricted her -- either on the pole or off it.
"Life is awesome," she told HuffPost. "Don't let a number on the back of your jeans determine what kind of life you want to lead."
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