OCTOBER | 3rd | 2016
Growing up I took countless dance classes and went to an untold number of cheerleading practices. I have always loved and been involved in all of the typical “girl sports”. Although my dad continually pushed me towards tennis, volleyball, or soccer, like my older sister, I never found interest in them. My parents soon became full-fledged “dance and cheer parents”. They loved how I loved to express myself by dancing to music or by cheering on a football or basketball team. I was often seen as a “girly girl” because of my interest in dance and cheer. I, however never saw myself as a “girly girl” and was confused by the fact that in order to be interested in dance and cheer that I had to also love pink and shopping. I quickly realized as a young girl that dance and cheer weren’t recognized as “real sports”. In fact, if I ever expressed to someone that I did dance and cheer their responses were often, “How cute!” or “So, you’re like a ballerina”. I also watched how when my sister told someone that she did soccer or tennis their responses were often, “Oh, you have to run a lot don’t you?” or “How many goals have you scored?”. Looking back, family members and friends often had more positive things to say about my sister’s interests (soccer and tennis). Around third grade, I decided to give dance a break and I took up gymnastics. Once I started gymnastics, family members and friends were quick to comment on how “cool” and “challenging” gymnastics seemed. I noticed the shift in attitude towards gymnastics as if it was a more “elite” activity. Looking back, one of the reasons for this is that many don’t know the intricacies and techniques of cheer and dance and don’t really care to learn about them. According to TheRichest.com, ranking the top 15 most popular sports in America, tennis is ranked number 12, while soccer is ranked number 6. Neither cheerleading nor dance were ranked. However, I believe this is just a small reason as to why I received the comments I did about my interest in activities.
It’s difficult for me to pinpoint one specific story dealing with the stereotypes associated with cheer and dance, but I can think of many examples by way of movies and social media and how they display cheerleaders specifically. One of the prime examples of the stereotypical cheerleader was shown on the hit TV show Glee. The Glee craze occurred during my later years of middle school into high school and I made sure to not miss an episode every Tuesday night. Each episode I watched the cheerleaders, who always wore their uniform, bully the “less popular” kids and sleep around with all of the football players. Going into high school while the show was airing was intimidating because I didn’t know what to expect, wanting to tryout for the cheer squad. Not only because of Glee but also because of movies such as 'Bring it On' or 'John Tucker Must Die'. The cheerleaders are seen to rule the school while the movie sexualizes their every move. Also, to reach fulfill ultimate “mean-girl” status is to be named cheer captain. Taylor Swift, a role model for young girls, even stated in her song ‘You Belong With Me’, “...She wears short skirts, I wear t-shirts. She’s cheer captain and I’m on the bleachers...”, shining a negative light on cheer captains. My senior year I received the title of cheer captain. Instead of people thinking my talent earned me the title, they would say things such as “Ooh, you must be pretty popular”, as if the school voted on who earned the title.
I guess if I had to define the danger of a single story, it would be the single (and only) story the media displays of cheerleaders. The media plays such a strong role in today’s society that you can’t not be affected by what is out there. I had close friends who weren’t cheerleaders but knew what the sport entailed and still let negative ideas expressed by media mis-shape their vision of us. It’s a tough stereotype to break and cheerleaders will continue to be portrayed as cynical, seductive, and stuck-up girls if the media continues to present them in this way.
Growing up I took countless dance classes and went to an untold number of cheerleading practices. I have always loved and been involved in all of the typical “girl sports”. Although my dad continually pushed me towards tennis, volleyball, or soccer, like my older sister, I never found interest in them. My parents soon became full-fledged “dance and cheer parents”. They loved how I loved to express myself by dancing to music or by cheering on a football or basketball team. I was often seen as a “girly girl” because of my interest in dance and cheer. I, however never saw myself as a “girly girl” and was confused by the fact that in order to be interested in dance and cheer that I had to also love pink and shopping. I quickly realized as a young girl that dance and cheer weren’t recognized as “real sports”. In fact, if I ever expressed to someone that I did dance and cheer their responses were often, “How cute!” or “So, you’re like a ballerina”. I also watched how when my sister told someone that she did soccer or tennis their responses were often, “Oh, you have to run a lot don’t you?” or “How many goals have you scored?”. Looking back, family members and friends often had more positive things to say about my sister’s interests (soccer and tennis). Around third grade, I decided to give dance a break and I took up gymnastics. Once I started gymnastics, family members and friends were quick to comment on how “cool” and “challenging” gymnastics seemed. I noticed the shift in attitude towards gymnastics as if it was a more “elite” activity. Looking back, one of the reasons for this is that many don’t know the intricacies and techniques of cheer and dance and don’t really care to learn about them. According to TheRichest.com, ranking the top 15 most popular sports in America, tennis is ranked number 12, while soccer is ranked number 6. Neither cheerleading nor dance were ranked. However, I believe this is just a small reason as to why I received the comments I did about my interest in activities.
It’s difficult for me to pinpoint one specific story dealing with the stereotypes associated with cheer and dance, but I can think of many examples by way of movies and social media and how they display cheerleaders specifically. One of the prime examples of the stereotypical cheerleader was shown on the hit TV show Glee. The Glee craze occurred during my later years of middle school into high school and I made sure to not miss an episode every Tuesday night. Each episode I watched the cheerleaders, who always wore their uniform, bully the “less popular” kids and sleep around with all of the football players. Going into high school while the show was airing was intimidating because I didn’t know what to expect, wanting to tryout for the cheer squad. Not only because of Glee but also because of movies such as 'Bring it On' or 'John Tucker Must Die'. The cheerleaders are seen to rule the school while the movie sexualizes their every move. Also, to reach fulfill ultimate “mean-girl” status is to be named cheer captain. Taylor Swift, a role model for young girls, even stated in her song ‘You Belong With Me’, “...She wears short skirts, I wear t-shirts. She’s cheer captain and I’m on the bleachers...”, shining a negative light on cheer captains. My senior year I received the title of cheer captain. Instead of people thinking my talent earned me the title, they would say things such as “Ooh, you must be pretty popular”, as if the school voted on who earned the title.
I guess if I had to define the danger of a single story, it would be the single (and only) story the media displays of cheerleaders. The media plays such a strong role in today’s society that you can’t not be affected by what is out there. I had close friends who weren’t cheerleaders but knew what the sport entailed and still let negative ideas expressed by media mis-shape their vision of us. It’s a tough stereotype to break and cheerleaders will continue to be portrayed as cynical, seductive, and stuck-up girls if the media continues to present them in this way.