This weekend when the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals take the field on Super Bowl Sunday, it will mark the return of cheerleaders to the biggest sports event in the United States, after they were barred from the field last year due to pandemic restrictions.
And though today the commercials and halftime show may often spark more internet chatter than those cheering from the sidelines, what cheerleaders represent — and what they wear — has long been a topic of public interest, raising questions about gender stereotyping and the fair treatment of cheer athletes.
That’s been the case since the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders were broadcast in the 1970s on national television in cropped long-sleeve blue tops, white vests and white Daisy Dukes — an outfit that’s now in the collection of the Smithsonian. This breakaway from the pleated skirts and modest tops seen throughout the 1960s ignited a fire.
It was “unlike anything seen in professional sports,” said Sarah Hepola, author and host of the Texas Monthly podcast “America’s Girls,” which examined the cultural influence of the squad, who served as the inspiration for all future teams in both style and routines.
The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders became “America’s Sweethearts” after being broadcast during the Super Bowl in 1976. Their TV appearances included “The Osmond Brothers Special” in 1978. Credit: ABC Photo Archives/Getty Images
“(They) definitely had a domino effect in NFL cheerleading in particular. I don’t think any other teams have made quite the same impact,” said Mhkeeba Pate, host of “Pro Cheerleading Podcast: The Truth Behind The Poms,” in a phone interview. Pate was a Seattle Seahawks Sea Gal (the cheer squad has since rebranded to the Seahawks Dancers) between 2011 to 2016.
Pate’s own uniform for the Seahawks was a similar style but with a nautical spin: a low-cut, cropped white top with billowing sleeves and a rhinestone encrusted sailor collar; itty-bitty belted white…
Source : cnn
