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The Popular Culture Mirror – Who are Cheerleaders In The Media?

As a young girl in this society, it is very easy to be influenced by Pop Culture. Youth, in general, are already greatly influenced by their peers and role models. However, because of modern-day technology, social media and pop Culture plays a significant role in the development of youth and individual subjectivity.

Growing up, Pop Culture greatly influenced how I perceived myself. There were times where I wasn’t even completely certain if what I thought about myself was an accurate representation because of how the media portrays young girls.

I always felt like I should be someone different. I was teased a lot and my reputation throughout school has been less than desirable because of the stereotypes that were placed upon me. Speaking about the term Hegemony, I used to feel as though my beliefs and values were being specifically manipulated, because of what I was being stereotyped.

I knew three things when I was just a young girl: I was blonde, a girly-girl, and a cheerleader. At first, I was proud of these attributes that made me, me. I was confident and comfortable. However, once I started paying attention to how the media portrayed girls like me, I became confused. In the media, blonde cheerleaders were depicted as unkind and airheaded bimbos. I was embarrassed that my passion was Cheerleading and tried so hard to not come off as overly girly. I began telling my peers that my favorite color was blue and that I preferred playing in the mud when the truth was that all I did was play dress up and barbies with my little sister. I even started befriending the boys in grade school as a means to prove that I “enjoyed” talking about trucks and bodily functions.

In movies and T.V. there is often only one type of character that represents a cheerleader, and it’s not a good representation either. Your mind may immediately come up with the ideology you have seen before. Typically, what we think of when it comes to Cheerleaders is “sexy bimbos”.

It was particularly hard for me to grow up with these stereotypes that the media had created around Cheer. Because of what is portrayed in Pop Culture, there were often times where I began to believe I was that stereotype.

Here is a quick video of a real-life young girl acting out what she believes a cheerleader is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOGi537zwfM

This video upsets me so much because it couldn’t be more inaccurate. It hurts my heart to know that this young girl truly believes that being a cheerleader means you are snobby and unintelligent. It is also upsetting to know that one of the stereotypes of cheerleaders is being known as being ‘popular’, even though they are mean. The working definition of popularity is to be liked, admired, or enjoyed by many people. So why is it that cheerleaders are thought of to be popular when none of their peers like them in movies?

As I got older I realized that this stereotype was nothing but that… a stereotype. I am so grateful that I was able to quickly realize that Cheer and Dance have taught me things that have helped me become the driven, passionate, and creative person I am. I have been blessed enough to learn how to work in a team environment and work well with others, as well as build long-lasting

relationships that I will cherish my entire life. Cheer has taught me to be patient, kind, and determined. I am always working to better myself and those around me, and I owe that all to Cheer.