Cheerleading Argumentative Analysis

In “Commanding the Room in Short Skirts: Cheering as the Embodiment of Ideal Girlhood”, Adams and Bettis argue that a feminist poststructuralist reading of cheerleading states cheerleading as a discursive practice that has changed significantly in the past 150 years to accommodate the shifting and often contradictory meanings of normative femininity. Overall they argue that cheerleading is surrounded by gender. A gendered activity reconstructing feminism and what people typically think about women in sports. With cheerleading transitioning into a female dominant activity, it comes with some negative stereotypes. Cheerleading is also described as an erotic icon. This is more towards NFL cheerleaders but it also affects high school and college cheerleaders. “As George Kurman claims, the cheerleader incarnates in a word, a basic male-voyeuristic fantasy.” Cheerleaders are the ultimately a male fantasy and as the authors described it, both virgins and vamps. A virgin being product of the early year cheerleaders and a vamp representing the one that all men want. In the 1940s and 1950s cheerleaders were seen as wholesome, good girls.

Especially in college, cheerleading should be a sport, because college level is higher and more strategic than middle and high school cheer. Yes, cheerleading is a very feminine sport and use to be a male ran activity but Title IX and all of its components should fulfill the needs for cheerleading. Cheerleading being feminine and looked down upon should not be the reason why they do not receive the aids, and materials they would need to be successful. It takes the same amount of athleticism as these sports and even more physical and emotional abilities. Cheerleading should be considered a sport because these women are just as athletic as any football team, baseball or softball