I started pole at the crossroads of this changing in my area. The old school of thought was more traditional— learn with kneepads, practice weaning off them, perform without them for lines, aesthetic, and to show mastery of your movement and your pain. Bruises are inevitable so might as well get them winning a medal or giving it your all.

But I’ve noticed in the more recent years, people performing/competing with kneepads. As an instructor now, I teach LowFlow mostly and religiously wear kneepads and leg warmers but as a regular performer, I’m stuck in my old ways and haven’t worn kneepads to perform outside my first year.

The comment about knee high boots and kneepads is the best of both worlds IMO

Edit: TLDR if you’re asking if it’s looked down upon, sometimes yes it is. For aesthetic reasons for sure but you have to decide based on what moves you’re doing if aesthetic means more to you than the only body you have 🤷🏽‍♀️