It really depends. First of all, there are all different types of cheer. There are competitive cheer teams that are more like gymnastic/aerobatic/dance teams. Those people are ATHLETES - both male and female. They practice hard and there is nothing to be ashamed of.

There are the more "high school cheerleader" type of things. It's fine, I still don't see anything "trashy" about it - really, if you go to HS games, often the "dance team" is a lot "trashier" than the cheerleaders.

Men are cheerleaders, too, so I'm not sure what your issue is with it, but you obviously have some sexist views toward it. I think the issue is more you than cheerleading tbh.

There is nothing wrong w/ cheering on your team. You can do it from the stands, or you can do it down on the floor/court/turf/whatever. Do the outfits bother you? What, exactly, is your issue?

Anonymous wrote:I will not allow DD to cheer.

why?

I will not allow DD to cheer.

I wouldn't be thrilled because of all the reasons other people listed. But I'd smile and "cheer" her on and let her do it.

Anonymous wrote:I'd be horrified if my dd decided to become a cheerleader. What a trashy and degrading thing to do.

Yes a crazy addicted crack head raver would be better

Anonymous wrote:Well I guess it depends on what "kind" of cheerleader. Not a huge fan of the "rah rah" kind that dances on the sidelines at football games, but my daughter showed me some videos of the "all star" cheer type and wow, those girls are ATHLETIC. No different than gymanstics, IMO.

I totally agree with this sentiment. Cheer squads are a great blend of showmanship and athleticism and some colleges have scholarships available for competitive cheerleading.

Anonymous wrote:I was a cheerleader for 6 years and loved it. The games were really just practice for competitions. We were super athletic, ran track, lifted weights, took tumbling classes. It also really helped my self confidence in high school. I was never great at "ball" sports and was too tall and muscular to be a gymnast so it was perfect for me. I have two daughters and would encourage either of them to cheer too!

This would be okay in my book but I've seen some squads that focused less on the acrobatics and more on the trashy oversexed moves.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would want to talk to her about how she feels about being on a team whose main purpose is to cheer and support others, usually boys. I would try to steer her toward gymnastics or acrobatics. But I would not forbid it.

+100

This. I was a cheerleader and I hate admitting it. I really hope DD doesn't want to.

Long distance family members have daughters that are into competition cheering, but it's not in support of an athletic team. They just go to competitions and do their routines. It seems sort of odd to me, but mostly it's the "uniforms" that would really bother me. They're super tight spandex, high cropped tops with tight spandex skirts, and all the girls wear a ton of make-up with their hair pulled back and enormous bows on their heads. The girls are around age 12 or so. NO WAY would I let me daughter wear that stuff. The clothing is basically designed to be sexy, and then the bow on top seems like some sort of weird "little girl" addition ... creepy.

Yes, this would be my issue, too. We have several friends whose kids are on the intense competition circuit and every time I see their pictures I imagine the screaming agony that would happen if I ever tried to remove that amount of hairspray from my daughter's hair. And then the makeup? OMG. I'm getting anxious just thinking about it. *shiver* But they post videos of their competitions, and I think DAMN, those kids are ATHLETIC.

I was a cheerleader for 6 years and loved it. The games were really just practice for competitions. We were super athletic, ran track, lifted weights, took tumbling classes. It also really helped my self confidence in high school. I was never great at "ball" sports and was too tall and muscular to be a gymnast so it was perfect for me. I have two daughters and would encourage either of them to cheer too!

Cheerleaders are hott. DCUMers are nott.

^^^shit to HERself, not myself

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did you know the Dubya Bush was a cheerleader and he went on to become the president of the United States of America.

wait! was it Nixon? I just might google and verify.

definitely not points in cheerleadings' favor ;P

Eh, my mom was so upset when I came home and said I wanted to be a cheerleader in 4th grade, but she kept that shit to myself because she liked to let me decide on activities. I did it for several years and really enjoyed it. Only did half a season in HS because I wanted to do marching band instead.

My child has brought it up, but she has so many other activities and I truly do not want to give up THAT much more time. She's doing ballet, which is much more active than the sideline cheerleading for peewee leagues that I did (and she wants to do).

Several of her friends are into the competitive stuff, which I said absolutely not to. That's a lifestyle.

Anonymous wrote:Did you know the Dubya Bush was a cheerleader and he went on to become the president of the United States of America.

wait! was it Nixon? I just might google and verify.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would want to talk to her about how she feels about being on a team whose main purpose is to cheer and support others, usually boys. I would try to steer her toward gymnastics or acrobatics. But I would not forbid it.

+100

This. I was a cheerleader and I hate admitting it. I really hope DD doesn't want to.

Long distance family members have daughters that are into competition cheering, but it's not in support of an athletic team. They just go to competitions and do their routines. It seems sort of odd to me, but mostly it's the "uniforms" that would really bother me. They're super tight spandex, high cropped tops with tight spandex skirts, and all the girls wear a ton of make-up with their hair pulled back and enormous bows on their heads. The girls are around age 12 or so. NO WAY would I let me daughter wear that stuff. The clothing is basically designed to be sexy, and then the bow on top seems like some sort of weird "little girl" addition ... creepy.

Did you know the Dubya Bush was a cheerleader and he went on to become the president of the United States of America.