Uniform Restrictions: How do I Feel?

When I first joined my middle school cheer team, I was super enthusiastic to wear my uniform to school for the first time. It was covered in bright colors, glitter, and intricate patterns, making it appealing to the average 6th grader. However, when I first wore my uniform to school, my peers were outraged that I was able to wear something so “inappropriate,” when all of them were yelled at for showing their shoulders. The fact that cheerleading uniforms have been considered inappropriate for a while now has contributed to some huge debates in cheerleading, including recent uniform restrictions.

Cheerleading uniforms have been a source of controversy among athletes, parents, and outsiders alike, but what have the major brands of cheerleading done to combat this? Well, they’ve tried banning cropped uniforms, but this didn’t achieve their end goal.

For some context, club (or All-Star) cheerleading has multiple governing bodies that determine the rules and restrictions each year. These include IASF, USASF, and a few others, which all work together to organize club cheerleading competitions and other events.

In 2018, IASF decided to create a rule that banned all cropped uniforms for non-senior divisions at IASF worlds, which was supposed to take effect in 2021 (Source: the Cheer Buzz). When this eventually made its way around to the cheer moms and gym directors, many were enraged, and this issue also takes place in other forms.

The uniform ban itself isn’t what I’m most worried about, it’s the reason behind it. The main issue lies in the fact that this restriction was put in place to improve the sport’s image.

As many of you reading this may know, cheerleading isn’t universally thought of as an athletic activity and, despite the fact that the International Olympic Committee declared it an official sport in 2016, many STILL don’t see it as one. 

Obviously, this issue needs to be resolved, but the previous approach was definitely not working. 

First and foremost, cheer hasn't been taken as seriously as other sports for decades, and this started well before cropped uniforms became popular. In cheerleading, the style of the uniforms reflects the athleticism required. Having cropped tops, short skirts/shorts, and flexible materials all allow for greater mobility when performing, and better athletic performance overall. 

Now, I understand that cropped tops alone aren’t 100% necessary for performances, and many coaches choose full-length uniforms anyway, which I fully support. However, that choice should be left for the coaches and athletes themselves. I think that the status of the sport's image has other causes, and I disagree with placing the blame on the uniforms.

To me, this did not provide athletes with an encouraging message. From my experience, the stigmatizing of cheerleading comes primarily from those who don’t participate in it themselves, the media, and other outside sources. Although IASF had the right intentions, the real issue we need to focus on is limiting stigmatization from the public, since that's where this issue is rooted. 

So, how CAN we approach this issue? The largest, and arguably most difficult part of combating this is educating the public. I’ve encountered so many people who have immediately dismissed what I have to say when it comes to cheer, despite the fact that I'm a cheerleader myself. I frequently hear, “cheer isn’t a sport,” from people who can’t tell me the difference between All-Stars and high school cheer, and who haven’t watched a cheer competition in their lives. 

I would say that the most important part of this is getting the sport more recognition and positive publicity. But, doing so on a large scale might take a while. Some ways you can advocate for athletic recognition in cheerleading include social media advertisements, school campaigns, and even having face-to-face conversations with those who may disagree. Ultimately, advocating for proper recognition of cheerleading will help this community to grow and thrive, hopefully preventing any further controversies about proper competition wear.