Cheerleaders

[CmdrShepSpectre2183]

 

What do you think of cheerleaders? Should cheerleading be considered a sport? If you had kids would you let them join a cheer squad? Cheerleaders are stereotyped as snobby and dumb. Have you ever met an intelligent cheerleader? Did the cheerleaders you knew get fat after High School?

[Acme]

I think seldom of cheerleaders.
Cheerleading should be considered athletics.
I had kids and they did not ask to be cheerleaders so I did not have to decide if I would let them.
Most of the cheerleaders I met in my high school were honors students.
I graduated early and have never again seen any of the cheerleaders that I knew.

[Greg H.]

What I find funny is that the dress code at my daughter's school forbids skirts that don't reach the knees. Yet suddenly cheerleaders.

[Endy0816]

Most of the cheerleaders I met in my high school were honors students.

 

My experience was much the same.

 

I always felt their main motivation seemed to be so they could continue on doing more of the same in College. Either way went against the stereotype, though I really think most people can, barring mental issues, accomplish more if they apply themselves.

Edited August 3, 2015 by Endy0816

[Phi for All]

What I find funny is that the dress code at my daughter's school forbids skirts that don't reach the knees. Yet suddenly cheerleaders.

 

The dresses are designed to look like short skirts, and then the cheerleaders do gymnastics in them, gymnastics designed to show off a matching pair of specially designed panties. It seems to be aimed at getting a peek at something you're normally not supposed to see. If it were about the gymnastics, they'd be in leotards like the gymnasts, wouldn't they?

 

I don't think I've ever seen a woman's gymnastic outfit that emulates a short skirt and panties. I think it would seem crass since the gymnast is obviously going to be doing maneuvers women don't normally do in short skirts. I think gymnasts would want you to focus on their skill rather than peeking at their underwear.

 

But it's the norm for cheerleading, even in middle schools with girls just into their teens. Cheerleaders may actually be athletes, but we dress them more like hookers.

[dimreepr]

 

The dresses are designed to look like short skirts, and then the cheerleaders do gymnastics in them, gymnastics designed to show off a matching pair of specially designed panties. It seems to be aimed at getting a peek at something you're normally not supposed to see. If it were about the gymnastics, they'd be in leotards like the gymnasts, wouldn't they?

 

I don't think I've ever seen a woman's gymnastic outfit that emulates a short skirt and panties. I think it would seem crass since the gymnast is obviously going to be doing maneuvers women don't normally do in short skirts. I think gymnasts would want you to focus on their skill rather than peeking at their underwear.

 

But it's the norm for cheerleading, even in middle schools with girls just into their teens. Cheerleaders may actually be athletes, but we dress them more like hookers.

 

 

Whilst I realise there’s an extra layer of titillation, with the short skirts, vies-a-vie the school girl look; a gymnast’s clothing could easily be less titillating, it’s not like the hips aren’t exaggerated with the design of most leotards.

 

If the girls get pleasure from their “sport” I say good luck to them; I’m sure some women got pleasure from looking at some of the guys in my rugby team.

[zapatos]

I've actually thought about cheerleaders quite a bit. It usually starts when I see them at a college football game and wonder why in the hell they are out there. It doesn't seem as if anyone really notices them. People don't seem to cheer more because they are there. So why bother?

 

Maybe it's just tradition. Part of the college atmosphere.

 

Then it strikes me that this is a microcosm of life; the males engaged in bloody sport trying to impress the females with their strength and speed. The cheerleaders trying to impress males with fancy displays, showing their fitness for reproduction.

 

And finally I get to the point where I think girls probably cheer just because they like it. Either socially, athletically, romantically, whatever. Everyone has their own reason, and just because I don't understand it doesn't mean it isn't enjoyable or important to them.

 

So if they want to call it a sport or join a cheer squad, then more power to the them!

[Moontanman]

 

What do you think of cheerleaders? Should cheerleading be considered a sport? If you had kids would you let them join a cheer squad? Cheerleaders are stereotyped as snobby and dumb. Have you ever met an intelligent cheerleader? Did the cheerleaders you knew get fat after High School?

 

Fat shaming much? I knew cheerleaders, dated a couple, they were smart outgoing young women, at least one graduated early with honors. All of them were smart and had to maintain at least a "B" average to stay on the squad, your discription of cheerleaders seems a rife with hostility and stereotyping...

 

.

[StringJunky]

 

Fat shaming much? I knew cheerleaders, dated a couple, they were smart outgoing young women, at least one graduated early with honors. All of them were smart and had to maintain at least a "B" average to stay on the squad, your discription of cheerleaders seems a rife with hostility and stereotyping...

 

.

It's an accepted American rite of passage for certain parts of the college demographic.

[Phi for All]

Whilst I realise there’s an extra layer of titillation, with the short skirts, vies-a-vie the school girl look; a gymnast’s clothing could easily be less titillating, it’s not like the hips aren’t exaggerated with the design of most leotards.

 

But it's a leotard. Unless it's a leotard that is pretending to be a strapless evening gown, it's design is fulfilling its purpose.

 

When you see a woman in a skirt that short off the field, she's usually very careful not to move in such a way that her underwear shows. She definitely doesn't do the splits and leg kicks. But the cheerleader is allowed, in her exuberance, to show off her panties to the whole crowd, including mom and dad and maybe a TV audience!

 

So if they want to call it a sport or join a cheer squad, then more power to the them!

 

Oh, absolutely. I guess I'm talking more about cheerleading than cheerleaders. I don't like to paint with such a wide brush regarding a whole group of folks. Cheerleading has become like the dancing after the hunt, highlighting skill and bravery, telling the story of mighty deeds. I just think the outfits are far more than blatantly sexual. It's far more than upskirt soft-core porn.

 

It's dressing a teenage girl up in a skirt a 20-year old might wear to go clubbing, and asking her to dance in public in a way the 20-year old probably wouldn't. And now that I think about it, it's the skirt that bothers me. Take that off and the cheerleader is wearing a two-piece leotard. It's the skirt/panties combo for a person who's jumping around that bugs me.

[StringJunky]

 

But it's a leotard. Unless it's a leotard that is pretending to be a strapless evening gown, it's design is fulfilling its purpose.

 

When you see a woman in a skirt that short off the field, she's usually very careful not to move in such a way that her underwear shows. She definitely doesn't do the splits and leg kicks. But the cheerleader is allowed, in her exuberance, to show off her panties to the whole crowd, including mom and dad and maybe a TV audience!

 

 

Oh, absolutely. I guess I'm talking more about cheerleading than cheerleaders. I don't like to paint with such a wide brush regarding a whole group of folks. Cheerleading has become like the dancing after the hunt, highlighting skill and bravery, telling the story of mighty deeds. I just think the outfits are far more than blatantly sexual. It's far more than upskirt soft-core porn.

 

It's dressing a teenage girl up in a skirt a 20-year old might wear to go clubbing, and asking her to dance in public in a way the 20-year old probably wouldn't. And now that I think about it, it's the skirt that bothers me. Take that off and the cheerleader is wearing a two-piece leotard. It's the skirt/panties combo for a person who's jumping around that bugs me.

Maybe you are just getting older. What would you be saying if you were their peer now? Which is the correct viewpoint? I look at it like this: I'm not the target audience... being in my fifties.

[zapatos]

A friend of my son's was a Golden Girl at the University of Missouri. They are the 'dance' squad at the football games, not the cheerleaders.

When selected for the squad, she was told that she had the right 'look' for a Golden Girl; someone who appealed to a 50 year old man.

 

I guess they want to keep donations coming from the alumni.

[StringJunky]

...When selected for the squad, she was told that she had the right 'look' for a Golden Girl; someone who appealed to a 50 year old man.

 

I guess they want to keep donations coming from the alumni.

That screws my theory then.

[Phi for All]

Maybe you are just getting older. What would you be saying if you were their peer now? Which is the correct viewpoint? I look at it like this: I'm not the target audience... being in my fifties.

 

Possibly. My objections aren't the normal moral ones.

 

They don't purposely design the cheerleading outfits to show off bras. Most outfits you see, even in college, are like the ones above, covering up most everything on top, including the bra. There's nothing obscene about any of them, most of the bottom parts show less than a bikini bottom would, but they seem to be purposely made to resemble panties peeking out under the skirt for those who watch attentively.

 

A friend of my son's was a Golden Girl at the University of Missouri. They are the 'dance' squad at the football games, not the cheerleaders.

When selected for the squad, she was told that she had the right 'look' for a Golden Girl; someone who appealed to a 50 year old man.

 

I guess they want to keep donations coming from the alumni.

 

I wonder if cheerleading started with the pros, moved to college, and then made it's way to high schools? Or did it start in university, then branch out? This seems like the real reason behind it all, so I wonder if high school cheerleading isn't a bit superfluous, unless it's a private school?

 

OTOH, maybe we need more high school cheerleaders to help pass bond elections. Goooooooooo, EDUCATION!

[dimreepr]

 

But it's a leotard. Unless it's a leotard that is pretending to be a strapless evening gown, it's design is fulfilling its purpose.

 

 

You surely aren’t trying to suggest the leotard has no sexual aspect? Does not the male version exaggerate maleness?

[Acme]

...

I wonder if cheerleading started with the pros, moved to college, and then made it's way to high schools? Or did it start in university, then branch out? This seems like the real reason behind it all, so I wonder if high school cheerleading isn't a bit superfluous, unless it's a private school?

...

Good wondering. Apparently cheerleading started at colleges in the late 1700s and it was a male activity. The Wiki article is rather lengthy so I'll just quote a couple passages and show one titillating female picture from the 40s. There is not a single mention in the article of the costumage. Rah rah sis boom bah!!

 

Cheerleading @ Wiki

History

Before organized cheerleading

 

The roots of cheerleading began during the late 18th century with the rebellion of male students.[3] After the American Revolutionary War, students experienced harsh treatment from teachers. In response to faculty's abuse, college students violently acted out. The undergraduates began to riot, burn down buildings located on their college campuses, and assault faculty members. As a more subtle way to gain independence however, students invented and organized their own extracurricular activities outside their professors' control. This brought America sports and cheerleading to participate in, beginning first with collegiate teams.

 

In the 1860s, students from Great Britain began to cheer and chant in unison for their favorite athletes at sporting events. Soon that gesture of support crossed overseas to America.[5]

 

On November 6, 1869, the United States witnessed its first intercollegiate football game. It took place between Princeton and Rutgers University, and marked the day the original "Sis Boom Rah!" cheer was shouted out by student fans.

...

Female participation

In 1923, at the University of Minnesota, women were admitted into cheerleading.[19][20] However it took time for other schools to follow. In the late 1920s, many school manuals and newspapers that were published still referred to cheerleaders as "chap," "fellow," and "man".[21] Women as cheerleaders seemed to be overlooked until the 1940s. In the 1940s collegiate men were drafted for World War II, creating the opportunity for more women to make their way onto sporting event sidelines.[22] As noted by Kieran Scott in Ultimate Cheerleading: "Girls really took over for the first time."[

 

Addendum

Good ol' Wiki has an entire article on cheerleading uniforms. Seems the righteous have been aghast at shortening skirts since the 70s. And those garments we peep under the skirts are called 'spankies', 'lollies', or 'bundies' and the real underwear is yet another layer down. Why there is even an organization to lay out rules for attire, though as pointed out by Phi the concern is more focused on above the waistage.

 

And where is the righteous indignation over wrestlers wearing nothing under their singlets‽

 

Cheerleading uniforms @ wiki

Edited August 3, 2015 by Acme

[StringJunky]

Good wondering. Apparently cheerleading started at colleges in the late 1700s and it was a male activity. The Wiki article is rather lengthy so I'll just quote a couple passages and show one titillating female picture from the 40s. There is not a single mention in the article of the costumage. Rah rah sis boom bah!!

 

Cheerleading @ Wiki

 

Addendum

Good ol' Wiki has an entire article on cheerleading uniforms. Seems the righteous have been aghast at shortening skirts since the 70s. And those garments we peep under the skirts are called 'spankies', 'lollies', or 'bundies' and the real underwear is yet another layer down. Why there is even an organization to lay out rules for attire, though as pointed out by Phi the concern is more focused on above the waistage.

 

And where is the righteous indignation over wrestlers wearing nothing under their singlets‽

 

Cheerleading uniforms @ wiki

My heart-is-a-quiver at the sight of those shapely ankles ...should be banned!

[Phi for All]

You surely aren’t trying to suggest the leotard has no sexual aspect? Does not the male version exaggerate maleness?

 

It doesn't have an engineered sexual aspect, except as a one-piece, clinging garment that emphasizes human physique. And the male version is the same basically as the female's, but lots of men in tights wear a dance belt (a fancy jock strap with cup).

 

It's certainly not a skirt with "lollies" (thanks Acme!) that look like what most women wear under a skirt, that society normally says we're not supposed to see, unless the woman is being purposely lewd. Or is a cheerleader.

 

As sexual aspects go, skirt + lollies is accepted, but a cheerleader top that let us glimpse the special "lolly" bra underneath doesn't seem to be allowed, and I would suggest that the same reasoning should apply to both. Why is flashing panties OK, but flashing bra is not? I know why parents allow it, it's because it's part of the uniform, it's what cheerleaders do, and after all, the real panties are under the lollies. To me, though, the skirt suggests I'm looking up it to see what's beneath when they flash me. It's unnecessary, and suggestive. Unless the suggestion is the whole point.

 

As a man in his fifties, I think things like kilts and skirts and the hems of dresses were made for lifting and peeking under. As college cheerleader's skirts rose up over the years, and I'd be willing to bet there was a big controversy about what they were wearing under those skirts. Eventually, the lolly was accepted as part of the uniform, and high schools began having cheer squads also, and the uniform already had the blessing. It just seems a bit weird, when parents are trying to protect their kids so much these days, that they let these girls do a watered-down burlesque panty-flash in front of the whole community.

[Acme]

...It's certainly not a skirt with "lollies" (thanks Acme!) that look like what most women wear under a skirt, that society normally says we're not supposed to see, unless the woman is being purposely lewd. Or is a cheerleader.

...

As a man in his fifties, I think things like kilts and skirts and the hems of dresses were made for lifting and peeking under. As college cheerleader's skirts rose up over the years, and I'd be willing to bet there was a big controversy about what they were wearing under those skirts. Eventually, the lolly was accepted as part of the uniform, and high schools began having cheer squads also, and the uniform already had the blessing. It just seems a bit weird, when parents are trying to protect their kids so much these days, that they let these girls do a watered-down burlesque panty-flash in front of the whole community.

You're welcome Phi. And what is 'lollies' but a euphemism for panties, right? Give us a break. Apparently some of the loolies have little paw prints on the bum if the team has a pawed mascot. And more's the hypocrisy that -as I read while researching today- some high schools won't allow cheerleaders to wear their outfits in class on account of it's lewd. Huh‽

 

I have to ask again, what about those wrestlers and nothing under the singlet? Nothing left to the imagination there boy. Not sure how that rolls in high school but in college it appears to be up to the wrestler. Whole websites devoted to photos from these matches, and I'll spare you the proof.

 

I have no objections to any of the attire; whatever floats the boat. I suspect if the girls & boys thought they were being exploited by their costumes that they would initiate a protest cheer. What I don't much care for is the 'adult' hypocrisy but all indications are that humanity was, is, and will remain hung (can I say that?) up on nudity whether near or full.

 

Now I'm off to do some more research on the web and get to the bottom of all this.

Edited August 4, 2015 by Acme

[Acme]

My heart-is-a-quiver at the sight of those shapely ankles ...should be banned!

Speaking of foot notes, this is one. When I responded in post #2 I was more-or-less being facetious as I expected the thread to go nowhere. As it has turned out the thread got legs and in hindsight I regret posting the picture in my reply. I traced the picture in the OP to a high school website and found the image I posted next to it. In retrospect it may be a copyright violation and it surely seems now at the least disrespectful of the girls pictured. My window to edit has passed but I have asked that it be removed. Whether or not my request is honored, mea culpa, or in the vulgar vernacular of the youth, my bad.

[dimreepr]

 

It doesn't have an engineered sexual aspect, except as a one-piece, clinging garment that emphasizes human physique. And the male version is the same basically as the female's, but lots of men in tights wear a dance belt (a fancy jock strap with cup).

 

 

Fair point.

 

 

Unless the suggestion is the whole point.

 

 

 

I think it is the whole point but I don’t think the cheerleaders mind, given the clothes girls of this age choose to wear, and even enjoy that kind of sexual attention (don’t we all) it only becomes a problem when the attention is inappropriate.

[MonDie]

The school is probably profitting from the games, thus the cheerleaders are like fundraisers for the school.

I have no objections to any of the attire; whatever floats the boat. I suspect if the girls & boys thought they were being exploited by their costumes that they would initiate a protest cheer. What I don't much care for is the 'adult' hypocrisy but all indications are that humanity was, is, and will remain hung (can I say that?) up on nudity whether near or full.

 

Is, and will remain so until we begin to artificially adjust our endocrinology.

[arc]

My heart-is-a-quiver at the sight of those shapely ankles ...should be banned!

 

Maybe different local that doesn't malign your delicate sensibilities would help remove any temptation to falter.

 

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=video&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CB8QtwIwAGoVChMIt6mjtpaRxwIVC5qICh2q3wlt&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D5CaMUfxVJVQ&ei=cJrBVbexBYu0ogSqv6foBg&usg=AFQjCNF1EIJmIuuS0DxVXOwkn7TZKiP11w&sig2=tKfnBOJgzlW_1Uqne4jUyQ

 

I believe they had to edit out the cheerleader uniform portion due to a poorly executed pyramid.

[ACG52]

This guy has posted this thread on at least three forums.

[Nouveau]

Could it be that part of the whole point in cheerleading is to give guys something attractive to look at, to help get them more excited for enjoying sporting contests. Since it's usually guys playing the sports in their uniforms, when there is the expectation that girls already have the guys there to watch and excite them.

 

Now given that most people like to feel attractive and have people looking at them and thus thinking just such, then surely the cheerleaders themselves do at least enjoy being in outfits that makes people notice them.

 

I'm really not sure about this idea that cheerleaders are somehow being encouraged to look or dress like hookers though. I just don't buy into it. That seems like suggesting putting guys in shorts to perform sports is akin to encouraging them to dress like rent boys.

 

People seem to be having these strange ideas that having young people dressing in anyway that makes them look attractive is somehow wrong or damaging. When surely really the focus should just be on having people dressed appropriately for the specific activity they are doing at the time, thus having a teenage girl go out a date dressed as cheerleader might send out the wrong message, but likewise also having her dressed as a librarian for a cheerleading competition would surely be equally silly.

 

If a 50 year guy does enjoy watching a pretty teenage girl in a short skirt cheerleading at a football game, or for that matter even a pretty teenage girl walking down the street in a pair of jeans and jumper, how does it really matter? Who is being hurt in reality? Surely there are far more things of concern in the world than worrying about middle aged guys finding teenage girls attractive, especially so given that this is exactly what has occurred for thousands of years, thanks largely to biological programming over which nobody has any actual control, doesn't it all just seem tad bit daft to be worrying about!

Edited August 5, 2015 by Nouveau