Stereotypes of Cheerleaders

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Common stereotype: Always happy. The "derp" face. (Viralnova).

When you think of cheerleaders, many different things may come to mind. Whether it be, “Cheerleaders are so dumb, and all they want is attention” or “Cheerleading seems like a really difficult sport, I am always impressed by the athleticism they demonstrate” to every else in between. Cheerleaders have been stereotyped for many years, both positively and negatively. Being a cheerleader, I have grown up hearing and experiencing the effects of these stereotypes on myself and my teammates. I believe that it is important for everyone to understand the history and what actually goes in to being a successful cheer squad.

History of cheer

Cheerleading teams began as early as the 1880’s, the first being an all-male pep club (Varsity). The teams were generally four to six members large, and only men. The men would sit in the crowds during football or basketball games, and begin small chants among themselves, which would eventually spread out through the rest of the crowd (Time, Z).

In fact, female cheerleading didn’t begin until much later. The first didn’t join the cheerleading scene until the 1920’s, and only because there were no other sports offered to women at that time (LoveToKnow). As time progressed on, males still had dominance over the sport. Lawrence Herkimer created the first jump, the “Herkie”; the National Football League (NFL) business men saw a marketing opportunity for entertainment, and ESPN broadcasters aired the first cheerleading competition for all to see (Soard, L). 

Credit for the first cheer is given to the first all-male cheerleading team and Johnny Campbell, with the cheer "Rah, rah, rah! Minn-e-so-ta!" (Time, Z).

Modern cheerleading is a much different sport than it was back in the 1920’s. Due to the short and revealing uniforms on girls, the cheerleading scene now being 90% females, and how media portrays the average cheerleader, many different stereotypes have arose and judgements are made every day. I have seen stereotypes affect my teammates, and myself.

Me with high school friend, beginning our college careers as athletes!

My experiences as a cheerleader

At my age of 20, I have officially been cheering for 16 years of my life. I’ve been through it all. The awkward stages of just learning how to move your body, making the varsity team in high school, being the top tumbler of your squad, suffering major injuries (but recover!), and be blessed enough to continue cheering in college. The journey has been amazing, but also emotional. I have watched many of my teammates come and go, I’ve lost many competitions, and I’ve dropped girls from the air. I have made some life-long friends through cheerleading and I have gained many skills that I wouldn’t have

gained anywhere else. I pride myself in being a cheerleader and having most of my friends as cheerleaders.

Michigan Tech Cheer at GVSU Competition, 2015

People often ask me, “Why cheerleading? Why not volleyball, or softball?” The answer I give them always varies, but it is generally something along the lines of this: I choose cheer because we are a hard-working group of athletes. The team work that you have to demonstrate is unparalleled to any other sport, and it’s fun. The girls, and boys, that I am on the team with are some of the nicest people I know. 

As you may have guessed, this response is not always well received. Most of the replies I receive begin with an eye roll or a scoffing noise followed by some remark about how we are all just fake and want to appear that way for the public. This truly is a misconception of cheerleaders, as whole. 

People believe this categorization due to the stereotypes that have been given to us. 

Stereotypes of cheerleaders

Stereotype – A belief or association that links a whole group of people with certain traits or characteristics (Kassin). 

There are a few common negative stereotypes that are associated with cheerleaders:

• Cheerleaders are dumb and ditzy
• Male cheerleaders are gay 
• Cheerleading isn’t a sport and it isn’t hard to do
• Cheerleaders are snobby and rude
• Cheerleaders are fake
• Girls/boys only do cheer to get attention or cheerleaders are “easy”

Growing up as a cheerleader, I have witnessed each of the stereotypes listed above by either being told directly to my face, through media, or through stories of my teammates. I become very bothered when I hear these types of things being said because they simply aren’t true. Most of the cheerleaders in America are actually very smart, many attending college to obtain life-long careers. Cheerleaders are generally the voice of their communities and often complete community service. Cheerleaders may be fake when we are performing, but that is because it’s a performance. Like a high school play, cheerleaders are putting on a show for their audience. A great, but short, video documentary on how cheerleaders are negatively conceived and how we really are can be found here. 

"Fired Up", a movie about cheerleading and the competition, illustrates the common stereotypes of your everyday cheerleader (IMDb).

Negative stereotypes do affect young and developed cheerleaders. When young girls or boys start off cheering and they are told (by media or peers) that cheerleading is for dumb girls, or gay boys, or for people who just want attention, it can really alter how those kids grow. Furthermore, stereotypes that are given to cheerleaders when we are older can really impact our self-esteem in negative ways. When teenage girls are told that they are fake, “easy” and dumb, they may start to believe it and feel really bad about themselves. 

Even with many negative stereotypes of cheerleaders, there are still many positive stereotypes that define us as well:

•  Cheerleaders are really healthy and fit

• Cheerleaders are great at teamwork

• Cheerleaders are fun and caring individuals, who are very passionate about what they do

• Cheerleading looks awesome and difficult, you can tell that the teams put a lot of work into what they do.

It is great that some of the population views cheerleaders for what they are – hardworking, leaders, and dedicated to their sport. It is always very uplifting as a cheerleader to hear that you are appreciated and that people really do acknowledge all of the time and energy that you have put in. When we hear that we are noticed and that people actually believe that we are a good group of individuals, it makes us very happy. We feel fulfillment and joy, and feel better about ourselves. However, sometimes even the positive stereotypes can have negative effects. 

"Healthy and fit" may lead to a negative impact. (Cacich).

For example, “cheerleaders are healthy and fit” and “cheerleaders are passionate about what they do” may lead to some cheerleaders to feel as if they don’t fit in with the group. If on a team there is a member who isn’t as thin or as healthy as the others hears “cheerleaders a thin and pretty”, they may begin to feel as though they aren’t good enough to continue being a part of the group. In the long run, this can also have very negative effects on self-esteem and self-confidence (Kassin).

Conclusions

Cheerleading is a sport that requires a lot of hard work and dedication. Often times, cheerleaders are stereotyped due to how they look and act. I hope that next time you see a cheerleader, you think differently about them and think about how the stereotypes associated with them may be not true. Stereotypes, in cheerleading or not, can be either negative or positive in connotation and can also have negative or positive effects. I believe that it is important to be cautious of the things that you say to other people about the groups that they are a part of, because even a nice stereotype can lead to bad outcomes.  

References

Cacich, A. (2014, July 17). 40-Year-Old Mom Achieves Dream of Becoming New Orleans Saints Cheerleader! Retrieved February 12, 2016, from http://www.closerweekly.com/posts/40-year-old-mom-achieves-dream-of-becoming-new-orleans-saints-cheerleader-40618

Picture in article used in post.

IMDb. (n.d.). Fired Up! (2009). Retrieved February 13, 2016, from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1083456/

Kassin, S., Fein, S., & Markus, H. R. (2014). Social Psychology (9th ed.). Belmont, CA: Jon-David Hague. 

LoveToKnow. (2006). History of Cheerleading in America. Retrieved February 11, 2016, from http://cheerleading.lovetoknow.com/Slideshow:History_of_Cheerleading_in_America#3

Simcox, E. (n.d.). Documentary - Stereotypes on Cheerleading. Retrieved February 12, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23QKje1pO0k

Soard, L. (n.d.). Cheerleading Facts. Retrieved February 11, 2016, from http://cheerleading.lovetoknow.com/Cheerleading_Facts 

Time, Z. (2016). On the Court. Retrieved February 11, 2016, from http://content.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1950821_2018380,00.html

Picture from this page was used.

Varsity. (n.d.). History of Cheerleading. Retrieved February 12, 2016, from http://www.varsity.com/event/1261/being-a-cheerleader-history 

Viralnova. (2014, October 2). Most people think cheerleaders are perfect people. Wait until you see this. Retrieved February 12, 2016, from http://www.viralnova.com/cheerleader-faces/