In Australia, I almost agree. It's the way the things are run that's the problem.
In the states, it's an honour to become a cheerleader. It's a profession. Starts with a college degree. Here, well if you can jump, shake your arse and have big ......... Well, you're in with a shot.
Removing cheerleaders, grid girls, back up girls, promo girls etc from sport, is like removing grog from footballers so they don't piss in their mouths, or others'.
Kind of like a bandaid IMO.
Shane.
Watched something on telly a while back about what it is like being a pro cheerleader for Dallas I believe. It wasn't pretty - girls starving to fit the 'ideal body shape', forced to take 'fat pinch tests' and if deemed too 'fat' they either were cut from the team or subjected to punishments, unable to cut or colour hair without approval, bitching and backstabbing, they are required to buy their own outfits and props plus maintain their appearance at all times outside of cheerleading or else, they are required to do promo work for the club free of charge or minimal pay, and they are paid f all - certainly not a 'pro' wage. Which means the girls often work a normal job somewhere inbetween and/or somehow study.
Sounds like a curse to me. If you think about it, you could see how the hyper idealised view of cheerleaders as the prettiest and most popular, plus the huge pressure to conform, could drive undesirable outcomes for the girls. At least cheerleaders in Aus can be a bit larger, or 'realistic', and there is no systemic pressure from school upwards to be the popular cheerleader.
Quite frankly I think it's a vacuous 'job' with no real benefit to society - we don't need eye candy at the footy to enjoy any footy. How can I take my daughter there with pissed blokes yelling lewd stuff at the cheerleaders, while they shake suggestive poses in hardly any clothes with painted on smiles?
