Updated: High School Cheerleaders: Outdated and Oversexualized
Cheerleading is one of those quintessential parts of high school (thank you, 90’s coming-of-age movies). Short skirts, peppy personalities, performances at football games; these are the ideas that come to mind first when the word ‘cheerleader’ is mentioned. What’s often overlooked is the history behind cheerleading and the intended goal of it.
Cheerleading began in 1898, organized by a man named Johnny Campbell at the University of Minnesota. He organized the first group of cheerleaders in hopes to increase attendance at school football games. Originally, cheerleading was only an activity for men, but shifted to primarily women around the time of World War II, when men were drafted to the military and were required to leave college. Since this gender shift in the common pastime, the views on cheerleading have changed immensely.
Cheerleaders are often sexualized; their uniforms being excessively revealing and their dances oftentimes categorized as suggestive. It seems ridiculous that teenagers would be encouraged to step into this role that society has clearly twisted. With the lost view of what cheerleaders are intended for - cheering for the players - it seems like the cheerleaders are purely providing entertainment for those with corrupt views of who cheerleaders are for.
According to senior Nate Landwehr, MBHS ASB co-president, student spirit is abundant at football games, but cheerleaders are often looked over because of their placement in front of the crowd. This serves as proof that cheerleaders are no longer the sole reason for student attendance. They’re not the focus of the game and they don’t serve the same strong purpose as they did over a century ago.
Senior Zahira Segler, MBHS ASB co-president, said, “I think the reason they’re always there is because that’s the way it’s always been.”
While traditions are valuable, and cheerleaders are a commonly thought tradition of football games, perhaps it’s time to explore the possibility of ceasing this activity. With MBHS varsity cheerleaders spending upwards of 10 hours on cheerleading weekly, it takes a toll on their sought after academic excellence. Both senior Ellie Elms and senior Isa Rojas said that cheerleading gets in the way of their schoolwork and makes it difficult to manage.
If our school values the educational superiority that is often preached, there needs to be an intense reflection of what we are asking these students to commit to and why. While it could be for the simple reason of wanting to keep traditions the same, there’s also the possibility that it comes from a malicious place.
To face the facts, cheerleading has been around for over a century, and there’s no end in sight of the current beloved pastime. It is important to recognize the issues that come with cheerleading and to focus heavily on the pictures painted of our cheerleaders. Find the issues, fix the issues, be part of the solution.
Sources: USA Cheer, New York Times