Week 9 Prompt B

Before Delete/Delve

            After World War II women took over the cheerleading scene.  Suddenly it was seen as feminine.  Cheerleading stayed this way up until the late 1960’s (Ralston).  Back in the day being a cheerleader showed that a girl was popular and eligible for marriage (Ralston).  This, I believe, is where the stereotypes for cheerleading began.  The typical cheerleader is blonde, trim, popular, not very bright, only dates athletes and is extra peppy all the time.  Back then they were not chosen for their talent, but for their popularity; instead of trying out in front of a panel of judges, the student body got to choose who would be on the cheerleading squad.  When students got to choose, the popular girls that were chosen were the stereotypes that we see today and have therefore set a generalization for the rest of us, the trim part especially.  Even up untill the early 2K years, there was a certain pressure to be very thin and have an attractive figure. 

In the 1980’s, a poll was taken on desire for thinness at a summer cheerleading camp.  The girls with a greater desire to be skinny were found to have more cases of bulimia, a serious eating disorder in which one goes through a viscious cycle of binging and then purging what they put down (Lundholm & Littrell).  A girl that was on the Davis High cheer squad the year before my sophomore year had a problem with bulimia.  She was sent to a rehabilitation center to take care of her eating disorder because she was beyond the point of helping herself.  In my personal observation, the need to be extremely thin has decreased.  At national competitions there would be girls that would strut out onto the floor like they were it and I would wonder to myself, “How in the world did that girl make it?  She is way too big to be doing this sort of stuff.”  But low and behold, time and time again the thickest girls on the team would be the best ones. 

After Delete/Delve

After World War II cheerleading became the woman’s job, becoming one of the gender roles created by society.  Cheerleading stayed this way up until the late 1960’s because it was a women’s sport  and seen as feminine (Ralston).  Traditional gender roles, such as the man being the bread-winner and the woman being the house-maker, were maintained by high school students up until the 1980’s (Suitor & Reavies).  This is most likely the reason why men didn’t really become involved in cheerleading again until the later 1900’s.  For the most part, male cheerleaders steer clear of the femine aspects of the sport because they don’t want to be viewed as homosexual; this way masculinity and femininity are performed side by side in the same activity (Grindstaff). 

Back in the day being a cheerleader showed that a girl was popular and eligible for marriage (Ralston).  This, I believe, is where the stereotypes for cheerleading began.  The typical cheerleader is blonde, trim, popular, not very bright, only dates athletes and is extra peppy all the time.  Back then girls were not chosen for their talent, but for being popular and well known.  Originally they were chosen to be on the cheer squad by the student body instead of a panel of experienced judges.  When students got to choose, the popular girls that were chosen were the stereotypes that we see today and have therefore set a generalization for the rest of us, the trim part especially.  Even up untill the early 2K years, there was a certain pressure to be very thin and have an attractive figure. 

In the 1980’s, a survey was given to the participants at a cheer camp with questions about their desire for thinness.  The girls with a greater desire to be skinny were found to have more cases of bulimia, a serious eating disorder in which one goes through a viscious cycle of binging and then purging (Lundholm & Littrell).  Before my sophomore year there was a girl on the Davis High cheer squad that had a severe problem with bulimia.  She was sent to a rehabilitation center to take care of her eating disorder because she was beyond the point of helping herself.  Her condition was poor and her cheerleading career was filled with injuries because of the harsh things she was doing to her body.  In my personal observation, the cheerleaders of today don’t have as much of a problem with eating disorders.  At national competitions I have seen girls that are larger and I think to myself, “How in the world did that girl make it?  She is way too big to be doing this sort of stuff.”  But low and behold, time and time again the thickest girls on the team are usually the best ones. 

40 min.