Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Americas Sweethearts

250 replies

KenAdams · 24/06/2024 12:14

Has anyone watched this on Netflix?

It's about the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.

There's so much wrong with it I don't even know where to start. They get paid virtually nothing but are required to completely commit (because the role is a privilege), are held to unrealistic beauty and weight standards, ruin their hips and feet by the time they are in their early twenties, the list goes on.

It shows how backwards the USA are as a country in terms of their treatment of women that they think this is OK.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
8
VaddaABeetch · 24/06/2024 17:08

Those teeny white shorts, do those women have periods

VanellopeVonSchweetz99 · 24/06/2024 17:17

It's fascinating in all its contradictions and darkness isn't it?
The evangelical Christian values and the stripper dance moves.
I do think it opens up their careers as influencers, Reece Allman has 62K + followers and Victoria Kalina 114K. There's several threads on reddit about the series, some saying their earnings can be up to 20k/year which is OK for doing a sport/hobby they love I guess. It would surprise me if they didn't get paid a fee to appear on the series also.
And not to defend the sexism or using these women or anything but as they point out early in the series, there really aren't that many opportunities for dancers, as demonstrated in that other Netflix documentary Dancing for the Devil.
I binged it.

Alalalalalongalalalalalonglonglilong · 24/06/2024 17:21

RealityPrinciple · 24/06/2024 16:49

It shows how backwards the USA are as a country in terms of their treatment of women that they think this is OK

This is like saying that the UK must have been terribly backwards because of Page Three girls, or France because of Le Crazyhorse or the topless dancers at the Moulin Rouge, though.

The women protesting the repeal of abortion rights, Ruth Bader Ginsberg etc are also American.

I was going to say the same thing. USA is a huge country, Texas is a huge state. There are thousands of different sub cultures and you are focusing on one. By comparison Love Island does not reflect all of British culture, nor does the Crown.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

MartyFunkhouser · 24/06/2024 17:52

VaddaABeetch · 24/06/2024 17:08

Those teeny white shorts, do those women have periods

I said exactly that!

KenAdams · 24/06/2024 17:57

MartyFunkhouser · 24/06/2024 17:04

I binged it. Mostly with my mouth open.

Much if it was depressing and Stepford-like.

Some of those women didn’t seem real. The one named Reese (I think) with the lunk-head boyfriend, in particular. I kept expecting her to short-circuit.

The mental and physical toll. So many ruin their hips with that crazy jump-splits thing. Look what it did to Prince.

The hairdresser scenes were particularly perverse. One went in blonde and came out a dark redhead. Not entirely sure she had any say in it.

Imagine a daughter aspiring to do this. Awful.

They seem to love the naive younger ones like her. Really creepy. Her and her fiance seemed like an odd pairing though.

OP posts:
MartyFunkhouser · 24/06/2024 18:58

Some of it was hilarious. They invited Handmaid Reece in to ask her to make a pokeberry floral arrangement for Dolly Parton. She was delighted (because she’s been set to ‘delighted’) and then the arrangement was like 3 sprigs in a jam jar 😂

Also the religious stuff. So bloody predictable.

Lordofmyflies · 24/06/2024 18:59

I found it fascinating as in a horrific weird car crash of a series.
So much wrong with DCC. The gender pay gap, the body dysmorphia, the sexism, the ageism... where to stop.
Made me glad to live the in UK for once!

LuckysDadsHat · 24/06/2024 19:04

Ruperims · 24/06/2024 17:02

Are you being serious? That's crazy... Why shouldn't the player leave if they just walked in if that bonkers rule is a thing

Cos it's all about the men! The cheerleaders are still expected to live like it's the 1950s. And the men bring in all the money so they are pandered to.

VaddaABeetch · 24/06/2024 19:06

Try retired older CLs look older than their years to me? Maybe it’s just the makeup or maybe it’s the dancing took such a toll on their bodies?

Ruperims · 24/06/2024 19:09

LuckysDadsHat · 24/06/2024 19:04

Cos it's all about the men! The cheerleaders are still expected to live like it's the 1950s. And the men bring in all the money so they are pandered to.

How depressing. I suppose I'm glad that surprised me, otherwise that'd be the norm for me too!

MartyFunkhouser · 24/06/2024 19:39

VaddaABeetch · 24/06/2024 19:06

Try retired older CLs look older than their years to me? Maybe it’s just the makeup or maybe it’s the dancing took such a toll on their bodies?

Yes, they really did. They gave me ‘whatever happened to baby Jane?’ vibes.

Fishcake15 · 24/06/2024 19:49

KenAdams · 24/06/2024 12:14

Has anyone watched this on Netflix?

It's about the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.

There's so much wrong with it I don't even know where to start. They get paid virtually nothing but are required to completely commit (because the role is a privilege), are held to unrealistic beauty and weight standards, ruin their hips and feet by the time they are in their early twenties, the list goes on.

It shows how backwards the USA are as a country in terms of their treatment of women that they think this is OK.

It's absolutely insane...the mandatory jump splits which caused people to have hip surgery! And the hair dying which the girls have no choice about...vile! They will look back on this and feel so sad. Poor girls!

LuckysDadsHat · 24/06/2024 20:24

Fishcake15 · 24/06/2024 19:49

It's absolutely insane...the mandatory jump splits which caused people to have hip surgery! And the hair dying which the girls have no choice about...vile! They will look back on this and feel so sad. Poor girls!

But they don't seem too! All the veteran cheerleaders all say it was the best time of their lives on the programme.

I think its horrendous, but we don't have the cheerleader or pageant culture over here like they do.

Fishcake15 · 24/06/2024 20:30

VaddaABeetch · 24/06/2024 17:08

Those teeny white shorts, do those women have periods

Bet they don't! Bet they're told to take the type of contraception that completely stops them. It's a cult!

Nitgel · 24/06/2024 20:34

i really liked the Making the Team series that was from about 2005, was a really good show, but this new series seems to have lost all the charm the original series had. bit weird who decided to re-do it in this format.

hungskir · 24/06/2024 20:53

'She's a makeover waiting to happen'

Awful comment from a fellow woman!

Nitgel · 25/06/2024 08:33

in the original series they are all given a makeover and the DCC look. That's what they signed up for, there is no pretense on what they were signing up for and it was a desirable job to have. this new series does seem to be centering on the dark side of the process and that is a good thing. Charlotte Jones the VP does seem to be getting a lot of criticism for the pay and that is well overdue.

I do think the whole process does need an overhaul but the original reality show was of it's time, Quite like x factor etc. It's a harsh process and the original show didn't hide any of this, but it was done in a softer way.

The new series is just car crash tv which is a shame really it seems to have been done quite cynically. Charlotte a DCC for 4 years iirc and the 'cut' is the way it is done yearly. I would like to see a proper documentary. I do like Kelly and Judy but Charlotte has always been a bit odd.

Fishcake15 · 25/06/2024 11:24

hungskir · 24/06/2024 20:53

'She's a makeover waiting to happen'

Awful comment from a fellow woman!

Kelli is an absolute head case!

Wishimaywishimight · 25/06/2024 11:27

I love Making the Team, not so much the Netflix doc.

There is definitely an element of Stepford Wives about the whole thing though.

The "yes ma'am", "no ma'am" I understand is the norm in Texas, no issue with that however the constant bright smiles despite what is being said to them jars a little. Being called into Kelly's office (which may or may not result in being cut) and smiling brightly while professing to be "excited to see what they have to say" or "excited to get some one on one time with Kelly and Judy" while clearly on the verge of tears.

Accepting criticisms without question. I remember, way back in the early series, a girl called Taylor being called out by (mean girl) Cassie Tramell (Judy Tramell's daughter), not for any reason of correction but simply to repeat gossip i.e. that she had heard Taylor was not practising enough). Taylor had the audacity to stand up for herself and state how much practice she was going and was told, by another veteran, that her response to Cassie should have been "yes ma'am". This discussion took place in front of the whole squad as well as Kelly and Judy. Of course Taylor was then called into "ma' office"...

Another veteran, Chelsea Elizabeth, was told she was toxic for what (to me!) seemed like a reasonable response to a number of veteran being called into the office for having put on weight, and was cut.

Jenna was removed from the "point of the triangle" for not turning in a fellow team-mate (Holly) for fraternising with the players. Holly resigned. Jenna was later called in and told she was being "toxic" for having contacted another member of staff to ask if they thought she might get the position of "point" back.

Another instance where a vet, Jailyn, was cut from Showgroup. She left the studio briefly (clearly disappointed and upset) and Kelly referred to her behaviour as 'toxic' i.e. no human emotion allowed only bright cheerful smiles and an enthusiasm for being worked like a donkey, for little reward, that bordered on mania. It brought to mind the movie/book 'The Devil wears Prada' where Andie was told multiple times how "millions of girls would kill for this job" despite the fact it was destroying her life.

I could go on but I won't (honest!). As for Victoria, well my heart went out to her. She has been practically bred for the purposes of becoming a DCC which she diligently did. Her mother, lovely no doubt, but clearly re-living her cheerleading days (she was a DCC back in the 80s alongside Kelly) through her daughter while ignoring the fact the young woman is clearly suffering. Victoria bravely admitted that she suffers from depression and anxiety and an eating disorder and does not appear to be close to her team-mates. Surely any loving mother would be encouraging her to leave such an environment. Sad.

Wishimaywishimight · 25/06/2024 11:28

Fishcake15 · 25/06/2024 11:24

Kelli is an absolute head case!

I also remember a time when they were looking at candidates on the big screen and pointing out a girl who was "not HD ready" with a smirk.

Upinthenightagain · 25/06/2024 11:33

Binged watched it yesterday. The way they treated Victoria was absolutely awful at the end. The blonde witch telling her she hadn’t had any vibes she wanted to be a team leader! I wanted her to tell them to stick their fucking rhinestones up their arses.
Why was Victoria’s mum encouraging her to do it when clearly for whatever reason her face didn’t fit and it was making her ill? I really hope she’s ok.
Also felt sorry for that girl whose hair they dyed and then they cut her from the team almost immediately.

KenAdams · 25/06/2024 13:49

Well they admitted none of those standards were around when they joined in the 70s and 80s so maybe Victoria's mum can't grasp the reality of how it is today?

OP posts:
PuttingDownRoots · 25/06/2024 13:53

Does anyone remember the 20/21 season and the fuss over the veteran cuts that year?

hungskir · 25/06/2024 13:56

The two main older women are utterly brutal

Freefree · 25/06/2024 14:08

How come the men on the judging panel had the most to say about the girls?
Oof it's so brutal, the level of athleticism is amazing and they should be paid much more. But I'm so so glad we don't have this culture in the UK although I do see it seeping in somewhat

Swipe left for the next trending thread