Thunder! Go Team! Women’s Rights!
After watching America's Sweethearts — The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders Netflix Series — (which is a seriously lengthy title compared to director Greg Whitley’s previously simple Cheer) — I’m admittedly dying to don a pair of white cowboy boots, white hot pants, an electric blue blouse and a star-spangled white fringed vest.
Something that is constantly reiterated throughout the series is the elevated image of the DCC. The importance of the look and how that look is part and parcel of the DCC image. Words that come to mind — flawless, impeccable, high-femme, inhuman. Every centimeter of the DCC should measure to an effortless perfection. The pure dedication to primping and preening for this otherworldly look reminds me of drag. This observation is affirmed by the appearance of Dolly Parton in the latter half of the series, who once said, “It’s a good thing I was born a girl, otherwise I’d be a drag queen.”
The DCCs are expected to toe the line between coy, innocent, All-American and dazzling, sensual, mature. Many of the women describe the outfit with the word “superwoman.” At one point the bootmaker who makes the DCCs iconic white cowboy boots says, “For a man you can dress up like Batman, for a woman you can be a DCC.” (The irony here cannot be overlooked. Batman is a fully covered anonymous vigilante while the DCCs are barely dressed, public-facing characters, and parts of the docuseries chronicle their experiences with stalking, harassment, and sexual assault.)
The role of the cheerleader and the cheerleading uniform itself is controversial. It’s been routinely critiqued for objectifying and sexualising women. But as professional cheerleading has become more complex, the modern cheerleading uniform now tends more towards spandex and athletic performance wear.
In a 2020 interview with Vogue, reflecting on modern cheerleading uniforms, Bring It On’s costume designer, Mary Jane Fort, said: “I remember looking at so many cheerleading uniforms and just thinking, That’s awful. Nothing was particularly flattering. I thought, How can I simplify this, and make it look real but appealing and graphic?” Fort ended up streamlining the designs.
I want to look at how versions of the cheerleading uniform have inspired fashion, because before there was athleisure, the way to show your dedication to Sports! in your daily wardrobe was by dressing Preppy!
The vintage cheerleading uniform is, in my opinion, a perfect outfit. A pleated skirt. A knit jersey, in collegiate colours; white, poppy red, dark blue, mustard yellow, or campus green. Colour blocking, thick lines, with rib-knit cuffs. Raglan socks. Off-white tennis shoes scuffed around the edges for a lived-in feel. Of course, part of the appeal is the knowledge that this outfit is, hopefully, constructed in breathable vintage cotton.
It's then no surprise that elements of the cheerleading outfit are recognisable in any American designer brand which describes itself as classic, or preppy, like Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger. (Among the many professions of the Polo Bear cheerleader is one of them! As seen on this vintage lambswool scarf).
Anna Sui’s eclectic Spring/Summer 1994 runway included a whole cheerleading section, pairing pleated skirts with pointy black pumps and pom-pom headpieces. Although the pleated skirt does not belong to the cheerleader it will always be associated with one. During the height of the iconic American Apparel tennis skirt, the piece was often worn in cheer-esque ensembles, with matching tops or turtlenecks, white shoes, and cheer-y hairstyles. 2015 was a fashion year that readily embraced prep, with Tommy Hilfiger FW15 showing thick pleats, on glossy-haired, soapy-clean models, of cotton and wool, with luxe fur maxi-details.
In Spring/Summer 2016, London brand Sibling, known for their colourful knitwear, sent both male and female models down the runway carrying pom-poms. More recently a different iconic skirt, from Miu Miu SS23, was paired with cable knit, collared shirts, and emblemed sports jerseys.
The cheerleading uniform is ever present in American Culture. There’s always a TV show or film with cheerleaders swilling in the background or foreground, from Grease to Glee to Riverdale. Dazed’s Spring 2021 edition featured stars of the Gossip Girl reboot in customised ‘XOXO’ cheerleading uniforms. One of Chappell Roans' several songs of the summer features a cheer chant - H-O-T-T-O-G-O. Both Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift have worn cheerleading uniforms in music videos. But the current metropolitan look of maxi skirts paired with sweatshirts, slick back buns, and trainers reminds me more of vintage cheerleading uniforms.
The cheerleading uniform epitomises the relationship between practical and presentable clothing. After all, a cheerleader is a performer. Where the cheerleader has featured in cinema and culture, she is usually the focal point, subject to the lens of the male gaze (and I do mean in the Laura Mulvey essay, not the TikTok co-opt of the phrase). Jennifer Check, Angela Hayes, Torrance Shipman — they all perform to camera, sporting their acronyms and hairbands, thick as slabs of ice cream.
Although the cheerleading uniform has been rightfully critiqued, the position does hold a certain legacy for female empowerment. As a sport: it's female-dominated. As a memory, for so many women: it marks an occasion of, as they say in the show, truly “being someone.” I will admit I shed a few tears when, during the Netflix series, all ages of former DCCs came together to dance once again. And, at the end of the day, isn't that what fashion is also about? — finding a way to blend the practical, presentable, and identifiable. For me, personally, if I am to reference sports in my daily outfits, I’d rather do it with the silhouettes and details of a cheerleader. 🌀