"Gimme an 'M', gimme an 'I", gimme an 'N', gimme an 'I'..... What does that spell?" Happiness.
It's amazing that something so inexorably linked with pretty girls actually began exclusively with men. Cheerleading has its origins at Princeton when it was 'guys only'. By the 1940s, females started infiltrating the business, but the miniskirt was still a couple decades away. Typically, the gals wore tucked in blouses or button up shirts with wool skirts that extended well below the knee.
Pleated cotton skirts were introduced in the '60s, and the hemline began its gradual rise, culminating in the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders of the '70s. The look became much more 'athletic' and pushed some sexual boundaries as well; sometimes utilizing the miniskirt's first-cousin - hotpants.
And so, here we are in 2012. The uniform has remained largely unchanged, and for that we're thankful. Unlike the rest of the world, the cheerleader's hemline never fell back down. It stayed up, and thus it deserves a special place here at Retrospace. We've done a cheerleader post once before; but with a whole new shipment of vintage pics, it's high time for another. Enjoy.
Go Bears!...Really,... Go Bears!
ReplyDeleteSecond picture from the bottom, Politically Incorrect, but period perfect.
ReplyDeleteI just discovered that my diploma is not official, so I'll need to go back to high school for another 4 years or so. Maybe we'll have cheerleaders without the need for any stupid team sports.
ReplyDeleteMales remain crucial to cheerleading on the college level, especially as the physicality and complexity of cheer routines have grown. I remember a stand-up comic talking about male cheerleaders and their performance with the women..."He's carrying her like a six-pack! Guess where my thumb is...and I'm not a magician...not such a sissy sport after all, is it?"
ReplyDeleteDaaaaang, this is one hot post!
ReplyDelete@Anonymous that politically incorrect picture is balsam for my eyes. Would that there be Southern belles out there today wearing an analogous cheerleading uniform with the stars and cross. The South will rise again...from a Canadian.
Cheerleaders in high school never did it for me. Their adviser in a mini, hose and heels, however...
ReplyDeleteI love the way the writers of Archie don't seem to understand the difference between a cheerleader and a baton twirler.
ReplyDeleteHuma, Huma,...
ReplyDeletehttp://farm8.staticflickr.com/7002/6722390021_70e061675c_b.jpg
I do accept as true with all of the ideas you've presented to your post. They're very convincing and will definitely work. Still, the posts are too brief for beginners. Could you please prolong them a little from subsequent time? Thank you for the post.
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Fifth to last photo Chillicothe, MO flag corps (1980?)
ReplyDeleteForth from the last picture. . .did you notice they are standing in the midst of a dump. . . or at least a really old tin can collection?
ReplyDeleteI have some great cheerleader photos in my high school yearbooks, and a few other places. Scan some and send some to you?
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ReplyDeleteThe (something) Browne High School cheerleaders are wearing skirts that are very short, even by cheerleader standards!
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