Being A Cheerleader Essay

The 1999 film But I’m a Cheerleader utilizes the over-the-top portrayal of stereotypes and humor to challenge the audience with the question of the outlook on sexual-identity in society. Society’s ideology is introduced to the viewer through the satirical treatment of homosexuality as an illness. The “intervention” scene dives deep into this absurdity by having Megan’s close ones and an “ex-gay” counselor explain to her that she is a lesbian, due to the fact that, she has pictures of girls in her room/locker, she doesn’t like kissing her boyfriend, and that she’s a vegetarian. Also, her Christian family calls her homosexuality an “unnatural way of thinking” and has Megan sent to a “rehabilitation center” for this “illness.” The filmmakers chose this form of satire to demonstrate how society ludicrously looks at homosexuality and the “signs.” In addition, the seriousness of their concern for Megan’s “problem” reveals the “anti-gay” notion that can be found in some parts of society.

The media has created a stereotype for cheerleaders. The way that cheerleaders have been portrayed in the media has made cheerleading one of the most disrespected and underrated sports in the industry. The media has made cheerleaders out to be the unintelligent, mean girls, that no one likes. It has portrayed cheerleading itself to not even look the slightest bit like a sport. Most movies make it look like cheerleading is just jumping around and yelling at other sporting events. A good description of this stereotype is explained in an article from TVTropes as “From evil to slutty to dumb, any cheerleader in North American media can be expected to be portrayed as shallow and superficial, because popularity is her first and only concern.”. As a cheerleader, this is extremely frustrating. The growing cheerleading industry has been working hard to show the world what cheerleading really is about. Bring It On: In It to Win It is an interesting movie that actually portrays some of the real aspects of cheerleading.

The next seven minutes could determine what my 7th grade year will look like. 11 other girls, competing for seven spots on the JAJH Cheer Team. My hands were shaking, and I was so nervous inside. What if I don’t make it? What if I make myself look like a complete fool? Falling on my face, tripping, doing the wrong cheer, all of these factors were racing through my mind. But I had to plaster that smile on my face, black shorts, white shirt, bow, tennis shoes, I was ready. Routines rushing through my head, one after the other, over and over. Five, six, seven, eight, one… Three days of practicing and learning the material for those next seven minutes.

Since childhood, I had a chance to develop my leadership and organizational skills through sports and had my school team win many competitions. My school is one of the places where my leadership qualities are valued as I often become a head of many activities, such as staging plays, organizing shows and school trips with my teachers. Being a leader gives me the opportunity to work in a team and consider my peers’ ideas to make our plans creative and enjoyable for everyone. My personal traits help me to gain trust and respect of my peers as they believe me to be a positive, open-minded and reliable person. I have learned to solve problems and conflicts thanks to this great experience of leadership, and I am always ready to assist my peers when it is

The sport of cheerleading has been around for a long time; since 1884 in fact! In the beginning, cheer was a sport dominated by college men. Since, women have taken over, and in 1967 the first ranked college cheer competition was held. Both school and competitive cheerleading offer many rewarding opportunities. Though they are a part of the same sport, the two types of squads are actually quite diverse. School cheer is undeniably a worthwhile and respectable sport, but competitive teams often provide a more challenging approach, and are more suited to experienced cheerleaders.

Male cheerleaders continuously get gender stigma which means a negative trait or set of traits attached to a social group, due to cheerleading being labeled as a 'feminine sport'. There are some male who become hesitant when wanting to be a cheerleader due to them being labeled as ‘Gay’. One of the female who participated in the study said “cheerleading started with men. I think the media has turned it into a sexualized female sport”. But, they believed this occur because women are helping men protect and maintain their masculine guise. However, the construction of masculinity is achieved through sexual objectification by men who cheer, because society focuses on labeling male cheerleaders homosexual, when in reality they have the advantage

Throughout the article various tone changes occur. During the introduction, there is a negative attitude that is apparent. The author is reflecting on Erykah Ward’s, a former gymnast, initial reactions to becoming a cheerleader. Ward’s responses were derogatory and stereotypical; she even stated at the end of the introduction, “I’ll want to kill them all” at the idea of becoming a cheerleader. She uses common stereotypes against cheerleaders such as “jumping around” and “uneducated.” All of the sudden, the article’s tone changes to a positive voice. The author is now praising cheerleading and cheerleaders for what they must endure. A couple sentences of ago the author was attacking cheerleading, but now he is saying, “competitive cheerleading is no joke.” This new admiring tone remains throughout the rest of the article and seems to get more passionate the further in detail he goes. Overall, the article has an informal voice. Campo- Flores is using

My dedication, commitment, and enthusiasm for cheerleading set me apart from the other applicants, along with my diversity with different types of cheerleading. I have 15 years of cheer experience at the all-star, junior high, high school, and at the collegiate level. I feel like this makes me a very well rounded leader because I have cheered with many different personalities and worked with coaches at each of these levels. As an all-star cheerleader, my coach selected me to perform an individual routine, I was a captain of my junior high cheer team, and was able to work closely with my high school cheer coach to help run practice after an jury my junior year. I hope that if I were to be selected to represent Hendrix College Cheerleading’s

From an outsiders perspective one may see brainless and beautiful robots, which scream and perform neat tricks. This is not the case from the inside; cheerleading is so much more than that. Many people are under the impression that cheerleading is not a sport. I am the voice of reasoning that will let you in, and I will show you that cheerleading, in fact, is a sport. Cheerleading requires much physical demand from the body just as any other sport would. Cheerleading, in general, is a team effort. There are many sides to cheerleading, which make it a versatile sport. When it comes to cheerleading there’s more to it than what meets the eye.

When I was a child, I believed that my most important goal for my young life was to one day become a varsity cheerleader for my local high school. Nine years later, the day I became a varsity cheerleader, I made a promise to myself that I would never do anything to jeopardize my personal image or the image of my team because I knew that young cheerleaders were always looking to be just like the varsity cheerleaders, and also like myself. This aspiration of mine encouraged my volunteer involvement with the the local recreation department in my county that coordinates youth cheerleaders during each fall football season.

Being an older sister, friend, and active student in and out of the classroom, I’ve oftentimes been the person that others look up to for advice or ideas. One specific area that I am a leader in is the Cherokee Art Club. This year I was named group leader, which is a person that guides fellow club members by giving them directions, providing support and encouragement, and making sure that everything is going as planned. I was appointed to this position because of my dedication and effective leadership skills last year. Because of all the clubs and activities I’ve been apart of, I became a very confident and effective leader. Even though it wasn’t an easy feat, it is extremely valuable thing to offer to the world and to the National Honor

As a varsity cheerleader, I have attended four years of Henrietta High School Mini-Spirit Camp. At Mini-Spirit Camp, high school cheerleaders promote spirit and confidence in children three to eleven years old. Every year, I realize more and more that being around children and being able to help in their lives is something that I truly love and enjoy. Being a part of Mini-Spirit Camp for the past four years has taught me patience and the importance of being a good role model and example to young children. As for my hopeful career, I know that these qualities are very important in becoming successful in acquiring the acceptance of

A leader is someone who is in charge, a person who convinces other people to follow and inspire an individual, and someone who is the principal performer in a section or group. But a great leader inspires confidence in other people and someone who look up to you with trust and honor. As a freshman this year, I am dedicated to become an assistant drum major for my sophomore year because I want to have the experience to be a better candidate and improve my leadership skills for my future. I remembered I entered marching band as an unconfident quiet person, but as I got more used to the marching band program, I noticed that I had built more courage and got more converse with my band family. I feel like I am capable for this position because I

Leading a team of teenage girls is most definitely not effortless, but it is something that I’ve done with pride for the past three years. When I entered high school, I was beyond eager to join the dance team. Unfortunately, it was not even the slightest of what I had expected it to be. We rarely performed and when we did, the feeling that I obtained exceeded embarrassment. I have danced since I was three years old, but it was so terribly draining, and not even in a physical way, that I considered quitting the team. At the end of the season my freshman year, though, the coach informed us that she was quitting and offered me the captain position for the following year. So with that, I decided to stay on the team. I was determined to make my

Confidence and leadership reveals everything about an individual’s unique personality. Whether demonstrated in sports or everyday life, leadership is extremely valuable in the sense of working well with others. I have learned to develop this trait in sports, work, and school. I have especially demonstrated this trait during my junior year by participating in York County’s Distinguished Young Women’s Program. Not only did this allow me to develop a relationship with strangers, but also allowed me to explore outside of my comfort zone and project myself to a higher degree than