I wonder what the women of DU think about Cheerleaders?

[trumad]

Is it demeaning to women or no big deal?

Personally I think the choreography of todays cheerleading is pretty intense and it could be classified as dance---just like the ballet. mho

[LynneSin]

1. I was a cheerleader? I see no problem - it's a great form of excercize

:D

[emulatorloo]

2. My college had male cheerleaders too. EOM

[Fresh_Start]

3. depends on the cheerleader doesn't it?

I think there was a story a week ago about parents getting upset because their cheerleaders were expected to cheer a women's sports events as well as male's sports events. I'd say that type of cheerleading is a fraud.

[NewJeffCT]

51. Why is that a fraud?

if they have to cheer at both the male sports and the female sports?

I think it's more of a fraud of parents get upset that their child is not just a football cheerleader, but has to cheer for women's soccer or field hockey, too.

[Left Is Write]

56. Fraud? How so? Don't women's sports deserve cheering on also?

[Deep13]

4. In high school in the '80s I could not help notice...

...that the cheerleaders were far better athletes than the football players.

[kstewart33]

5. In the past,

I didn't think much of cheerleading. It seemed like a cute-looks popularity contest.

But the granddaughter of a dear friend has shown me that if it's serious cheerleading, it's hard work and risky business. Her high school squad has done well in regional competitions. But this year, they did not do well because of all of the injuries they'd sustained in the fall season.

Kayla is built like a gymnast and the stunts she does are challenging. She loves it and is very committed to doing it.

It's becoming more like an athletic sport. So I say, go girls!

[WI_DEM]

6. I know of a certain pResident who was a cheerleader

[hlthe2b]

7. JR High School through College Cheerleading

I have no problem with it...

When it comes to professional sports teams, the need to push the sexuality envelope seems a bit excessive, but nothing I'd fight for, or against....

[RB TexLa]

8. oookaay

I can see this going many directions


:popcorn:

[Virginia Dare]

9. I don't find that demeaning...

I do find the NFL cheerleaders very demeaning though. I don't think they should be called "cheerleaders", as they are essentially exotic dancers.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

17. Interesting note

Some NFL cheerleaders actually have very advanced degrees and highly professional jobs. Like this one: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/aditi_kinkhabwala/01/03/rocket.scientist/index.html

Not that I'm saying the job is any less demeaning or anything, but it's not like they're all braindead idiots either.

[Captain Hilts]

22. No one said cheerleaders were stupid. I know the Redskins had the oldest avg. age...

of cheerleaders for years. Women just wanted to get into the stadium, just as you had senior military officers/govt. officials selling hotdogs for the same reason.

Then, they went 'sexy' and it all went to hell.

I find NFL cheerleaders - and the attention networks give them - very offensive and off-putting. I watch football despite the sexist ads and sexist focus on the cheerleaders.

[Virginia Dare]

25. That's true...

in fact, a very good friend of mine was an NFL cheerleader back in the mid-80's, and she's a very intelligent and professional woman, I just think that the word "cheerleader" is disingenuous in this case. They're not "leading cheers", they're shakin' what they got. One can argue for or against the appropriateness of the whole thing.

[xmas74]

42. One of my sorority sisters became an NFL cheerleader

for a few years.

Sweet as can be. She had finished her student teaching and realized that she wasn't cut out to be a teacher so she auditioned and made the squad. She did it for a couple of years until she decided what she wanted to do and then went back for another degree.

She said that most of the women were quite smart.

[Patiod]

48. That's funny - one of my best friends did that too!

She didn't make cheerleading at college (they wanted more "perky" and gymnastic vs. sexy), so she tried out for the Eagles and made it.

It was pretty funny - guys would actually recognize her, and this was before Cheerleader Calendars. Once, we couldn't get her car to start, and some guy saw us struggling, recognized her, went and got his tow truck and started her car without charging her anything. He knew her name, and told her he was a huge fan, and followed her around the field as they changed corners every quarter, which was creepy.

She was a Tri-Delt (and one of the ones that gave me the most abuse for hooking up with Mr. "Just Once", xmas74)

[xmas74]

49. My sister made the big time-Cowboys.

We never thought she'd do it. If you had met her you'd guess her for a kindergarten teacher-which was her original plan. She scared herself and decided to not enter teaching. At least she realized it before it was too late for her and had a bit of fun finding herself!

And your friend shouldn't have given you crap about "Just Once". She should have just reminded you to tell him to double-bag and left it alone. (Guys like that-a girl needs to be careful of what they might be hiding.)

[Patiod]

50. It was for my own good

There were a few nights when he'd be hitting on me, and I'd look across the dance floor to see her shaking her head at me, which brought me to my senses. Those were the days right before people were generally aware of STDs and protections other than the pill -- all we worried about was getting pregnant. I was REALLY lucky to have escaped him unscathed, especially since he knocked up both his freshman year girlfriend AND his senior-year girlfriend (and they're just the ones we knew about) and God knows what diseases or critters he was carrying. Yikes. So her interventions may have saved me a world of trouble....

Cool that your friend made the Cowboys Cheerleaders! The Eagles were just starting their cheerleading squad at the time, and it was definitely JV, but still fun to tell people "you know, J, my friend the Eagles Cheerleader?". She was one of the world's stiffest, prissiest girls, very prim and proper, and the whole NFL cheerleader thing was not really her thing. She's a doctor's wife now, which is more her style.....

[xmas74]

53. My friend went into business.

She now lives overseas, something she never would have thought of on her own.


And I was in college in the age of disease yet never thought about them. I should have worried about them more often.

[KitchenWitch]

58. I have always said that the NFL cheerleaders were one social status step

above the pole...a crucial one, but only one.

[JuniperLea]

59. I hired a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader as a receptionist once

A month later I found that all the guys in the mail room had her pager number and she was working as an exotic dancer after-hours. I managed a reception department of five (2000 employee office! ) and it was hot and cold running cuties! Mostly girls who came to Los Angeles to become a star... the mom in me took them in and the actor in me commiserated.

[Warpy]

10. It's intense athletics

involving dance, gymnastics, and strength training. Cheerleading has become a sport in itself, and championships are held every year.

It's just a shame that it's still seen as a (mostly) ladies' auxiliary to the male team sports, you know, some bit of fluff to kill time between plays in the real action on the field or in the gym.

[Oreo]

11. How could it be demeaning?

This cheerleader was selected President...TWICE!

[Catherine Vincent]

12. Bush was a cheerleader.

I heard he was pretty cute.:)

[in_cog_ni_to]

13. I was a cheerleader. It's a great way to stay in shape. It's fun and

you get to wear really cute uniforms too.:7 I really don't see why it would be demeaning.

[Mandate My Ass]

14. they have cheerleader contests nowadays

It's pretty serious stuff.

I asked my mom if I could be a cheerleader when I was in high school. She said that if I wanted an activity, play a sport, don't cheer for one. Nowadays that advice would not be as appropos as it was back in the late 70's. Besides, there are cheerleaders of both genders.

[soothsayer]

15. As a lesbian DUer, I want one! Or maybe two. Heck, send the

squad!

[BoneDaddy]

18. LOL

that made me laugh

[yardwork]

41. As another lesbian DUer I was thinking the same thing...

and then I remembered that it was sexist and objectifying. But at first I was like Hey! lol.

[Kerrytravelers]

16. Guys can be cheerleaders, too... and not become pResident!

:rofl:


My mom was a cheerleader. She graduated high school at 16 (skipped half of 1st grade and all of 4th back in the 1940s.)

It's a very athletic sport and great exercise. I wasn't a cheerleader, but if I could go back in time, I would probably do it... if I could make the team!


I went to USC. The cheerleaders (well, they are called Song Girls and the guys are called yell leaders (with the nickname of fish since most of their moves look like they're swimming)) have all taken years of dance classes and are very athletic. It is quite an accomplishment to make the squad.

[classof56]

19. I recently attended my 50th high school reunion and noticed...

that the cheerleaders in my class had done pretty well for themselves. Of course, just surviving to celebrate one's 50th high school reunion is pretty remarkable in and of itself, now that I think about it!

My daughter was a cheerleader in high school over 20 years ago, and while I was reluctant to let her go there (I never was too impressed by the whole cheerleading thing), I am happy to report that she had fun and has some good memories and is a productive, fairly stable person with a good career. Course, that might be due to my excellent parenting skills as opposed to her cheerleading stint. ;-) She's also a Democrat, as is her sister. Yay!

Class

[uppityperson]

20. Both, depends on how it is done

It can be very athletic, takes a lot of practice, flexibility and ability. However, it can also be a popularity thing, and it can be demeaning to the scantily clad non-talented big boobed set too, depending on HOW it is done and used. Overall, it is ok though I never saw the need for it at an athletic event for its stated purpose of "cheering on the crowd", more of a dance style entertainment which is fine in itself.

[Captain Hilts]

21. They're fine so long as they aren't half nekkid as in the NFL. nt

[Javaman]

23. Gimmie an F...

Gimmie a U

Gimmie a C

Gimmie an K

Gimmie a B

Gimmie a U

Gimmie an S

Gimmie an H

What's that spell???? Fuck bush*!!

What's that spell???? Fuck bush*!!

[murielm99]

24. I told my girls they could not

go out for cheerleading. Not that they wanted to!

I don't see the boys cheerleading for the girls at their games.

I told them to go out for a regular sport if they wanted to. They did. They could do dance and gymnastics in other contexts if they chose.

They have workshops here for girls as young as seven. They have dance squad, too. The little girls participate in those a few times a year at games. Some of the dances are very suggestive. I think it is inappropriate.

If you want to cheer, or have your daughters cheer, okay. I think it is demeaning. I am glad my girls found other things to do.

[JuniperLea]

30. Whoa! Glad you weren't my mom!

I never told my daughter NOT to do anything. We discussed everything and she made up her own mind.

Had my mom told me NOT to do something, boy howdy! That would be first on my list!

My senior year stint as "Lola" in Damn Yankees was far more suggestive than any move I ever attempted in cheer-leading. And my outfits in figure skating were far more revealing... and my now 22-year-old daughter is quite the prude, despite my liberal ways.


:)

[grace0418]

36. That's kinda how I feel too. I think the exercise and dance is great, but why does

it have to be in the context of sitting on the sidelines of a boys' sport? Why not take up dance if you enjoy the dancing aspect? Or play the sport if you enjoy the athletic aspect? And yes, I know there are male cheerleaders, but murielm99 is right, do they ever go to the girls' games and cheer?

Also, in some towns the cheerleaders (and their moms) get downright creepy. Between the catfights and the eating disorders and the overly made-up little girls writhing around in skimpy costumes, I find it only barely more palatable than the creepy "Little Miss Sunshine"-type pageants. Of course not all cheer squads are like that, but you hear about it enough to make it distasteful to me.

--edited to add: I don't think I would tell my daughters they *couldn't* be cheerleaders though, that's my only disagreement.

[Captain Hilts]

40. The center-periphery issues bother me too, but most the cheerleaders in my HS...

were also athletes: track, field hockey, tennis, soccer. They were an athletic bunch. The head cheerleader threw the shot put!

[Left Is Write]

57. I also knew several cheerleaders who also participated in other sports.

Of course, I graduated from high school 23 years ago, but the cheers were cheers and the moves were gymnastics. There was none of the over-the-top suggestiveness often seen today in cheerleading and danceline routines.

Lots of cheerleaders did track, volleyball, basketball, softball, golf, tennis, and other sports.

[murielm99]

45. Part of it was my strong objection

to cheerleading, and part of it was that they wanted to do EVERYTHING. We had to draw some lines.

My oldest daughter was in girls softball, on a team that went to the state semifinals. She was on math team, academic team, music, piano, theater, madrigals and dance. Dance came in handy in musicals. She is a professional musician now.

My youngest was in track, basketball, academic team, math team, band, choir and piano. She also tutored. She did Tae Kwondo, and still does. She speaks two foreign languages fluently.

For the most part, they made their own choices, unless they were doing too much, and burning themselves out.

They did not really want to be cheerleaders. Maybe they laughed at cheerleading because I did.

I make no apologies for telling my children they could not do something. We all teach our kids our values and help them make choices. Sometimes we make choices for them.

[grace0418]

47. That's totally fine. I wasn't calling you out or anything.

I don't even have kids so it's easy for me to say. :hi:

[idgiehkt]

26. I was one

I liked it. I'd do it now if there was a squad for women in their late 30's.

[JuniperLea]

27. READY!! GO!!!!

We're here

to stay

we'll never go away

hey hey hey

we're bad

so rad

uh huh uh huh uh huh



You can't do that without being a serious athlete. It is no more demeaning than figure skating.

[ShortnFiery]

28. I was "an ornament" once myself and that's why my pre-teen daughter

specializes in Martial Arts, i.e., seven years so far. With Cheerleading, you are only as good as your looks and popularity. Face it, cheerleaders, both male (remember, dimson was one) and female, mainly serve as distractive "eye candy" in order to keep the audience awake during the boring parts of the game. :shrug: It's great fun and gleans some friends but it's not a noble sport nor lifelong pursuit. Basically, it's fluff - enjoy it if you can.

However, beautiful men and women OF ALL AGES can participate and compete within Martial Arts. It keeps you just as flexible and is a life long path of study if you wish to master certain areas. You never outgrow martial arts, and everyone is beautiful within the field for WHO they are and their sparring and/or forms presentation skills.


Pom Poms? :rofl: No, I'd prefer a pair of electric-blue chrome plated nunchucks instead. ;)

[idgiehkt]

32. I wish I had been started in martial arts

An acquaintance of mine was started in martial arts (tae kwan do) when she was four years old. One day when she was babysitting her younger brother, when she was 12 years old, a sex offender broke into their house. She shot him in the chest with a shotgun, lol. (He lived). I think it is a good thing to start girls with an defensive mentality from the outset.

I enjoyed my cheerleading days, I don't see why a girl can't do both if she wants to. The only thing is that it is getting more and more dangerous...that is a drawback and a consideration for parents of girls that want to try-out for squads that do high-flying stunts.

[ShortnFiery]

35. If you are serious about martial arts, there's not time for both.

IMO, that's a good thing. ;)

[JuniperLea]

33. My experience was completely different

We had several girls who were... um... large and nothing close to what you could call attractive. You had to keep a B average to be on the squad so there were plenty of hotties who got left behind.

My experience could not have been more different.

[NewWaveChick1981]

29. To me, it's no biggie.

If women want to do cheerleading, they can. :) If not, it's fine too. I wasn't a cheerleader or anything, but I have nothing against it.

[soleft]

31. Hate them, and I'll tell you why

I love football. Been a die hard fan since I was young kid. Franco Harris, Phil Simms and now Chad Pennington - my idols.

But other than some sandlot games when I was a kid, I've had very little opportunity to actually play football. Not true with other sports, I'm a softball fiend and a baseball fan, but as for football, I'm relegated to being a spectator.

I suppose I could go out and join a flag football league, I certainly have the opportunity to play, but then again I'm 44 and am having enough difficulty keeping my joints in tact for softball.

I wish I could have had the chance to play in high school, and when I was younger. Hell, if I had been a born a guy I would have played at the highest level I could have advanced to.

When I see cheerleaders it just reminds me that for my generation, that's about as close to the football field girls were allowed to get - and that sucks.

[MissMillie]

34. It IS athletic, for sure

but certainly sexist too. One very rarely finds a female cheering squad that wears sweats. It's almost always plenty of skin (which would be fine if they were swimmers and/or divers....)

[Lilith Velkor]

37. I met some of these chicks in jail

www.nycradicalcheerleaders.org

Talk about intense!

[Captain Hilts]

38. How 'bout those cheerleaders for the Carolina Panthers! [Lesbain alert!]

Getting it done in the bathroom after the game!

[Lilith Velkor]

44. Wouldn't know about that

I don't pay any attention to sports, and as you can see if you click the link I provided, you can find plenty of cheerleaders in radical politics, some of whom are undoubtedly lesbians. (Yay!)

[xmas74]

39. I was one once.

If done properly it's not a big deal-it's actually great exercise.

[LisaM]

43. f they actually LEAD CHEERS, fine. If they just strut around

put them in some other venue. I don't go to sporting events to watch people flash abs and boobs (and I'm talking about high school too). I go to watch the sport, and I like organized cheering. Cheerleaders seem to have forgotten this. They don't engage the crowd at all, and that's what they are ostensibly there for.

[Captain Hilts]

46. It would be GREAT to have an anti-war cheerleading squad at the March on Sat. nt

[NewJeffCT]

52. Speaking as a man

I'm very supportive of cheerleading. But, I've always been the quiet, easygoing type and I've forever been drawn to the stereotypical cheerleader that is peppy & outgoing.

[Taverner]

54. Well I'm a guy but

It's probably the most dangerous athletic sport (yes it is a sport now)

At the same time, it's also probably the hardest workout a girl can have in high school. Yes, even more so than Soccer.

As for it being demeaning - would you consider Womens figure skating demeaning? How about Women's Gymnastics?

Sure it got its start as entertainment for football, but it has since evolved into a real sport.

[Book Lover]

55. I remember being appalled when I first learned that there were college cheerleading scholarships

Come to think of it, I still am.

PS - Elad, we should add "cheerleading" to the DU dictionary!

[skygazer]

60. I don't have a problem with cheerleading

But then I don't have a problem with being an exotic dancer. To me, equality means having the opportunity to make your own choices in what you want to do. I worked as a construction worker. Some people want to be professional cheerleaders. Some want to be exotic dancers. Some want to be executives.

Do what you want. I'm good with it.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

62. I don't have a problem with cheerleading or exotic dancing

But I strongly feel there should be a difference between the two.

And I also think that guys should be able to cheer their teams on. Cheerleading used to be about rallying the spirit of the crowd and rooting for your team. Why should gender play any role?

[NC_Nurse]

61. Sorry, but cheerleading is anachronistic bullshit.

If you want the exercise do gymnastics or dance. Leave out the "cheering on the team" crap that stems from girls being relegated to the sidelines for
generations.

I didn't forbid my daughters from cheering - one of them did for a year. She decided dance was much more fulfilling. I was glad, but I never insisted she quit.