Booty Cheer: LadyHaters of the Day

A cheerleader is kicked off of her cheerleading squad because her mom complained about a cheer using the word "booty."  Here's the rub.  The cheerleader is 6.  The mom said the cheer was "dated and stereotypical."  Rather than bump the cheer, the cheerleading league booted the girl.

The cheer goes: "Our backs ache, our skirts are too tight, we shake our booties from left to right."

Way to go mom, that cheer is so....outdated!

What a loss of opportunity to critique here, and instead focus on all the wrong things. First of all, there are those, including myself, who would rather the girls be playing soccer and basketball, rather than cheering on the boys, but others consider cheer a demanding sport akin to gymnastics, so fine.

I have a bigger problem with the sexualization of "skirts too tight" for 6 year olds.  Beautifully skewered in "Little Miss Sunshine" and to a lesser degree with Sparkle Motion in "Donnie Darko," dancing children in adult costumes and makeup (and in this cheer commenting on it), is squickier than the use of the word "booty." I'm assuming that their skirts aren't too tight because they can't afford new ones?  Just a wild guess.

So I'm not sure what this mom had in mind when she and her daughter signed up for cheer in the first place, but yes, shaking booties from left to right is precisely what they do.  So how is that "outdated?"  I think the more compelling argument is to make sure the cheers are more age appropriate go-team-go than "skirts too tight."

Finally, what's with the league kicking out a 6 year old because mom complained?  That's sportsmanship, innit?   We don't know if this mom has been a problem before, or what their deliberation was like, but this poor little girl has been caught in the middle.  All she knows is that she can't be in her sport any more.

Update:  Another take on it from Ms. Blog