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The Schmooze

Zac Efron Gives The World The Gift Of His Pole Dancing

Breaking from the pornographic displays of egoism and prefab-anecdote exchange that are the usual order of the day on celebrity talkshows, “The Graham Norton Show” stumbled across real talent this week. On the press circuit for his new “Baywatch” remake, actor Zac Efron demonstrated that pole dancing is another of his unlikely ways into America’s heart, second only in strangeness to the “High School Musical” franchise.

Host Norton, pulling up a picture of Efron hanging horizontally from a parking meter, challenged Efron to recreate the photo as Tom Cruise looked on (note that this could easily pass for a description of a nightmare.) Norton ushered Efron to a conveniently placed pole, and after some gentle ribbing at the expense of America’s intensely stigmatized sex workers, (ha ha ha) Efron assumed position. At last, to the tune of “Low”, once a hit on the bat mitzvah party circuit, Efron hung gently perpendicular to the pole.

Once again, Zac Efron has defied expectation and destroyed fragile masculinity while also seeming like a decently good person.

Enjoy his abdomen here:

Jenny Singer is a writer for the Forward. You can reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @jeanvaljenny.

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