Introduction
The objectification of women in cheerleading has been noted in many several news materials, research articles and online blogs. Women are presented in scantily clad clothes and are assigned to dance in provocative ways to ensure that audience is entertained. Overtime objectification of women and their body parts in cheerleading groups leads to women developing self-objectification traits. Female self-objectification has been defined as "regular exposure to objectifying experiences that socializes girls and women to engage in self-objectification, whereby they come to internalize this view of themselves as an object or collection of body parts” (Szymanski, Moffitt, & Carr, 2010, p. 3). Therefore, it is important to analyse the impact of cheerleading and resulting objectification has on women. This paper will analyse how cheerleading is an activity that is helping objectification of women and the scenario is clearly worse than imagined.
Objectification of Women
Sexual objectification occurs when women and young girls are seen primarily as sexual objects, which are to be looked at and used. In cheerleading teams, most co-ed team having guys require them to wear shirts and baggy pants, whereas girls are expected to show some skin by wearing bra, skirts, etc., which causes instant objectification of females. Several schools or dance companies, require ask their students to perform regular and mandatory weigh-ins, and girls are expected to make the bare minimum otherwise they are removed from the team. The tighter and smaller the uniforms, the greater is the chance of getting caught up in self-objectification that has a negative effect on women’s mental condition, health choices and performance. Therefore, it is important to point out these activities that have become an important part of the culture and holds back women from the positions of happiness, health and real power (Beauty Redefined, 2013).
The role of sports in objectifying women is also highly evident as sports fans arrive to stadiums not to watch their favourite players, but they also want to see the skimpily dressed girls dancing. When the music plays the males in the band are dressed properly, but the women are dressed in provocative clothes to excite the fans. In addition, women in the cheerleading group are handpicked, there can never be a slightly healthy girl or a plus sized girl as they are deemed not hot enough. One event that best signifies objectification women is the Superbowl as cheerleaders and half-time dancers are always dressed to excite the fans, whereas the male members are expected to be dressed full. This form of objectification is leading to development of expectation among the fans that they can watch beautiful women dancing at sports events and cheerleading as a professional ends up promoting the objectification (Josephs, 2016).
The NFL is one of the biggest sports organizations in the world, but their contribution towards objectification of women is significant. The NFL provides its male audience with the perfect combination of balls, beer and babes and the result is the game become too focused on the needs of their male audience. Women are not only being objectified, but they are also being paid pennies and several cheerleaders are forced to pay for their own expenses. In addition, cheerleaders are not even allowed to put on 4-5 pounds and several times they are expected to sit on the laps of male for selling the image of the game. The worst of all is the weekly jiggle test, where cheerleaders are expected to move or jiggle their body parts and display any form of additional weight they might have gained. Such objectification is degrading to women and creates a society where women are just sex objects (Reed, 2014).
In one way cheerleading has no place in sports as the macho image of the football is not suited to using cheerleaders. Also, few NFL teams have never used or decided to abandon the use of cheerleaders. Even if cheerleaders are an important part of several teams in the NFL, they never get their due credit and are passed off as entertainment. According to one cheerleader, her profession “instantly recognized symbol of youthful prestige, wholesome attractiveness, peer leadership and popularity” (Rhoden, 2010). But there are certain problems associated with following the profession as “equally recognized is the cheerleader as symbol of mindless enthusiasm, shallow boosterism, objectified sexuality, and promiscuous availability” (Rhoden, 2010). Such a stereotype can only cause negative effect on the women who are participating as cheerleaders. Their profession limits them as women who can be sexually objectified as they have chosen a profession typified with shallow values.
One example of overcoming objectification is seen in beauty pageants as women are no longer judged only on their outer appearance, but it also important to be smart, talented and capable of holding and sharing intelligent opinions. Therefore, becoming a pageant winner requires both intelligence and soothing personality that makes people stand out. But, thinking deeply on the issue, it can be realized that these pageants are still choosing girls that are beautiful and skinny. No one expects a beauty pageant winner to be plus sized and it teaches young girls that if they want to achieve their dreams of becoming a pageant winner they need to be skinny like models. Young girls need to be taught to define beauty on their terms, rather than fall prey to the justification built by the society (Tokko). Women should not be taught about self-objectification that has become an essential part of cheerleading and beauty contests.
The essence of the argument is that objectification of the female form has been going for years in sports, dance groups and beauty pageants. This form of objectification has several negative consequences for the society as women become eye-candies for men, young girls grow up learning that they need to be skinny to be considered beautiful, objectification of women creates bold and a negative perception of women, and cheerleaders practicing their profession have to live their life and practice their professional under the limitations and restrictions that are in many ways inhumane. There is no need for cheerleaders in sports and it is important that some teams have started to wake up to the fact and contribute towards ensuring women are seen as sexual objects.
Conclusion
Cheerleading is part many sports events and young girls dream of becoming cheerleaders when they grow up. But, there are certain negative side effects on practicing the profession as the women are seen as sex objects. Male members of the cheer squad and dance groups are always fully clothed, but females have to face objectification as they need to dress in scantily to excite the male fans. This strategy ensures that women are treated as sexual objects by many males who attend the game and being a cheerleader is considered as unethical.
References
Beauty Redefined. 2013. Pageants, Dance, Cheerleading, and Sexual Objectification: It’s Nothing to Cheer About. Retrieved 07 April 2016 from, http://www.beautyredefined.net/pageants-dance-cheerleading-and-sexual-objectification-its-nothing-to-cheer-about/
Josephs, A. 2016. If Beauty Pageants are Passe, Why Aren’t Scantily Clad Cheerleaders? Retrieved 07 April 2016 from, http://jewinthecity.com/2016/02/if-beauty-pageants-are-pasee-why-arent-scantily-clad-cheerleaders/
League of Fans. 2014. NFL’s Exploitation of Cheerleaders Worse than Imagined. Retrieved 07 April 2016 from, http://www.leagueoffans.org/2014/05/20/nfls-exploitation-of-cheerleaders-worse-than-imagined/
Rhoden, W. 2010. Sis, Boom, Bah (Humbug): Cheer Squads Have no Place in the NFL. Retrieved 07 April 2016 from, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/17/sports/football/17rhoden.html?_r=0
Szymanski, D. M., Moffitt, L. B., & Carr, E. R. (2010). Sexual Objectification of Women: Advances to Theory and Research 1 7. The Counseling Psychologist, 39(1), 6-38. doi:10.1177/0011000010378402
Tokko, J. (16 October 2015). Are Beauty Pageants a Way to Objectifying Women? Retrieved 07 April 2016 from, http://www.finalsandfries.com/lifestyle/85750/Are-beauty-pageants-a-way-to-objectifying-women
