to not let daughter do cheerleading?

[undercoverfunster]

Am I BU? She's 8, school have a cheerleading club once a week. ( they don't actually cheer a team, just learn routines) Some of the 'cool' girls do it, so now she wants to. I think it's pointless, sexist and outdated. And the 'cool' girls are also the not-very-nice ones in her year, who make fun of her for being in the football team.

She''s a VERY active kid, plays football and tennis competitively, swims, runs, plays basketball. All of which she loves so doesn't need the exercise.

She has tried various 'girls' activities over the years ( to try to keep in with the 'cool' girls) but gets bored of them quickly ( dance, gymnastics, musical theatre, ballet, netball).

I just think cheerleading is shite! And sends the wrong message to girls - don't cheer for the team be IN the bloody team.
And I sure a heck don't want her quitting something useful to try it for 2 months and get bored...

Jeeez you sound very highly strung!

I find it sad and deeply unfeminist that people only value sports that boys do. That’s just our patriarchal society talking.

I agree. It's a badge of honour on here to say your dd plays football or rugby and if your dd does do more traditionally 'female' sports and activities you must add the caveat that she also loves running in muddy fields

As has been said several tines this is the Pom Pom dancing around type only, no gymnastics of any kind and no boys doing it. Don’t think it can be compared to acrobatic ‘cheer’.

I don’t understand why having two mums means it’s impossible for her either parent to have sexist or gender stereotyped views ? Women are often the worst for perpetuating these sorts of ideas. Pink Stinks campaign is a good example.

As has been said several tines this is the Pom Pom dancing around type only

A) what’s wrong with that?

B) one builds skills and foundations for the other

B) one builds skills and foundations for the other
It's almost like some people are being deliberately obtuse isn't it? Do people seriously think that when starting cheer the athletes go straight into tumbling and stunting?
It seems common sense has gone out the window in the name of feet stamping 'but it is sexist and I don't like it'

Footballs roots are women being banned from the stadium altogether! If we were to ban our children from playing any sport with sexist roots there would be very slim pickings indeed. Let's not punish the children for the rampant historical sexism in sports.

OP I agree with Laurie I don't see what's hilarious about people suggesting this may be your own prejudice at work here. You've admitted yourself you are maybe showing prejudice as you didn't like typically 'girly' sports as a child. Of course lesbians can be sexist! Your remark about 'oh maybe it will be funny to look at the pictures when she's in the World Cup (playing a real sport)' is very disparaging towards people who cheer and yes comes across as a very prejudiced attitude.

As PPs have said there are many boys who cheer and I'm sure there would be a lot more if there wasn't the negative attitude towards the sport as evidenced by people on this thread. Also agree with PP who said we don't need to rely on boys to legitimise an activity for our daughters. The important thing is if THEY enjoy it and THEY want to try it. We can go too far the other way to try and make things equal for our daughters using our own experiences to decide for them instead of allowing their experiences to inform their choices.

@mintimperials many do both - 'Pom Pom' cheering is also boys and girls and is used to display 'team spirit' supporting your school or college - not for 'eye candy'

You need to research high school and college cheer squads.

I understand your point OP and agree with you to a large extent, but to me cheerleading does look complicated, highly skilled and a whole lot of fun.
On balance, I'd let my daughter do it.
However, if I picked up on any notion of derogatory attitudes as a result of it I'd reverse the decision.

hello

I'm stuggling to think of anything that I think of as a sport that isn't done competetively by both sexes...I mean there is a hotly contested men's netball world championship, and all forms of competitive dance seem to have massive male representation....so erm, yes - the presence of both sexes taking it seriously is a very good indicator of something being an actual sport.

There is also a meaningful dividing line between things that are simply more or less popular by sex, and things that one sex wouldn't be seen dead doing, and someone of the opposite sex joining in would likely be bullied for it. I wouldn't want my DD doing an activity that a boy would be bullied for wanting to join in with.

I'm stuggling to think of anything that I think of as a sport that isn't done competetively by both sexes

Rhythmic gymnastics

Waits for you to tell me you don’t consider that a sport

Anyway Cheer is done competitively by boys.

I applaud any physical activity that gets kids active instead of sitting in front of a screen for hours!

I agree!

Anything rather than bloody gaming

I find it sad and deeply unfeminist that people only value sports that boys do. That’s just our patriarchal society talking.

I agree. It's a badge of honour on here to say your dd plays football or rugby and if your dd does do more traditionally 'female' sports and activities you must add the caveat that she also loves running in muddy fields

I agree too!

Meh, I don’t value dance things of any kind but DS is a dancer and does it because he loves it. Am I ‘unfeminist’ for finding Strictly and dance and cheerleading boring? While loving tennis and rugby?? I personally don’t divide sport into men’s or women’s sports so am not attributing value based on that.

If Strictly finally rises up and allows same sex partners on the show, dragging itself out of the dark ages I might change my mind.
And no, I do t think that one routine they did with all the dancers where they had women/women and men/men dancing together for 5 secs was enough.

You can not enjoy something whilst still acknowledging it has value.

The value of a sport isn’t only defined by what your own opinion is.

Am I ‘unfeminist’ for finding Strictly and dance and cheerleading boring? While loving tennis and rugby??

Not at all. We all have our preferences.

However, valuing traditionally ‘girls’ sports less when other people want to do them is unfeminist in my view.

No, that's straw man nonsense.

Have you witnessed cheerleading at the darts, the men's hockey, American football matches? I have (all three). It is demeaning. Have you heard of the "jiggle test"? Do you see grown men wiggling their arses as inter-period entertainment at the women's hockey?

The roots of this so-called sport are anything but empowering and this shit goes on.

Further, I hate the idea of raising girls to cheer, to support, to always be somehow ancillary. That is what cheerleading is.

That is what cheerleading is

No. As has been explained several times that isn’t what cheerleading is as a matter of course.

Competitions involve routines against other teams. Not ancillary, the only event.

This is what cheerleading is out in the big ugly world of sport, though. The clue is in the name.

If Strictly finally rises up and allows same sex partners on the show, dragging itself out of the dark ages I might change my mind.

I think this is long past overdue.

This is what cheerleading is out in the big ugly world of sport, though. The clue is in the name

Given we’re talking about kids, I think we’re good...I don’t tend to get the local team confused with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders so pretty sure other people are managing quite the same.

@mintyspud you are so wrong and you insult the many people involved in the SPORT of AllStar competitive cheer.

No one here is talking about Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders - and even if they were the women who do that kind of cheerleading are trained dancers and still extremely athletic. I don't understand why you think this kind of cheerleading is any different from ballet for example where women train intensively and have to be a certain body type to make it.