- 8 years ago
On this episode of Shady, our host, Lexy Lebsack explores the dark side of NFL cheerleading that is often left out of the spotlight. She speaks with former cheerleaders who share their stories of verbal abuse, discrimination, and exploitation all at the hands of the NFL. Watch this shocking episode of Shady to get an honest look into the dark reality of NFL cheer!
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Shady is the side of the beauty world you haven't seen. Hosted by Refinery29 Senior Beauty Editor, Lexy Lebsack, the series swivels between the unexpected and uplifting, dives deep into the dark underbelly of beauty, gives a voice to those trampled by this quickly growing industry, and questions what it’s all worth. From counterfeit makeup to skin trafficking for cosmetic procedures, we go there.
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TALENT
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ABOUT SERIES
Shady is the side of the beauty world you haven't seen. Hosted by Refinery29 Senior Beauty Editor, Lexy Lebsack, the series swivels between the unexpected and uplifting, dives deep into the dark underbelly of beauty, gives a voice to those trampled by this quickly growing industry, and questions what it’s all worth. From counterfeit makeup to skin trafficking for cosmetic procedures, we go there.
ABOUT REFINERY29
Refinery29 is a modern woman's destination for how to live a stylish, well-rounded life. http://refinery29.com/
RELATED CONTENT
The Truth About Where Hair Extensions Come From
https://youtube.com/watch?v=VlZ1SWLBfPE
Why Fake Kylie Jenner Lip Kits Could Be Dangerous
https://youtube.com/watch?v=G-VsdEy9IF8
What Beauty Is Like Behind Prison Bars
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Dp1DFvQTcJk
SEE MORE REFINERY29 VIDEOS
http://refinery29.com/video
SUBSCRIBE TO REFINERY29
Subscribe to the Refinery29 channel: http://bit.ly/subscribe-to-r29
For the latest trends and videos, visit: http://refinery29.com
Like Refinery29 on Facebook: https://facebook.com/refinery29
Follow Refinery29 on Twitter: https://twitter.com/refinery29
Heart Refinery29 on Instagram: https://instagram.com/refinery29/
TALENT
Follow Kristan Ann on Instagram: https://instagram.com/kristan.ann/
Follow Lexy Lebsack on Instagram: https://instagram.com/lexylebsack/
Follow Unbothered on Instagram: https://instagram.com/r29unbothered/
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00Anyone can learn to move, right?
00:01Like when you're walking, you can lift up that knee and point that toe.
00:04You want to make it sassy? Yes! Like, sassy!
00:07Sassy!
00:09Lexi's got sass! Lexi's all sass!
00:11This is Kristen Ann Ware.
00:14Sassy! I'm whipping it! Sassy!
00:17She knew joining the Miami Dolphins meant having the perfect hair, body, and smile.
00:23Three, one, yes!
00:25But she wasn't prepared for what else she'd have to face.
00:28They say you're only special in the uniform.
00:31Your opinion doesn't matter. Your voice doesn't matter.
00:34You're here to perform and that's it.
00:36They intimidate you into silence.
00:40But, I mean, you want to be a cheerleader.
00:42It's the best job in the world.
00:50Cheerleading. An iconic American pastime.
00:53Some love it.
00:54Others think it's an image-obsessed, second-rate sport.
01:00It's a topic far removed from my day-to-day as Refinery29 senior beauty editor.
01:05But growing up as a soccer player, they were always on the periphery.
01:10What I looked like on the field never mattered.
01:13But I'm here today to learn how in cheerleading, it can mean the difference of whether or not you make
01:19the team.
01:20So there's a big difference in this. It's pretty.
01:23Sideline Prep is a pro-cheer consulting company.
01:27And Janine Samuels is its leader.
01:29Right? So, thank you.
01:32Teaching the tricks of the trade from her 11-year run as a professional cheerleader.
01:37What's most important, definitely nutrition and fitness.
01:40And then just don't sleep on the importance of your appearance.
01:44But when did appearance become so important to pro-cheer?
01:49Cheerleading in the early 1900s was a male-only activity at elite Ivy League schools.
01:56During World War II, women took over when men left to fight, stepping it up with gymnastics and acrobatics.
02:03It was in the 1970s that Dallas Cowboys owner Tex Schramm saw a lucrative opportunity to boost ticket sales by
02:12making cheerleading all about sex appeal.
02:16Skin-tight outfits, suggestive dance moves, and a beauty queen look became a must.
02:22Today, professional cheer is as much about image as it is about dance.
02:29For these women, it's all part of the game.
02:32Here we go. Tear it up.
02:34Just as important as putting in long hours at the gym and mastering moves.
02:40We worked so hard for years just for one audition.
02:45It's about the experience. It's about the sisterhood.
02:48I love the glam.
02:50I love the feeling of putting on my makeup and getting my hair done and going to go dance and
02:56seeing myself in the mirror.
02:57I just love it.
02:59Here we go.
03:00From their moves to their makeup, every last detail is considered.
03:06Whatever it takes to land a coveted spot on a team of their dreams.
03:10Women want to become professional cheerleaders to basically extend their life of a passion that they already have.
03:17Professional level is the next step for them.
03:21Yay! That looks so good!
03:25But recent headlines are shining new light onto this dream, revealing just how vulnerable it is to exploitation.
03:33A new lawsuit against the Raiders.
03:36Two Raiderettes say they were humiliated and groped.
03:39They're not even paid for quite a bit of the work that they do.
03:42An entire reform on how professional cheerleaders are treated is long overdue.
03:48She and her lawyer are calling on the NFL to do more to protect cheerleaders.
03:58Kristen Ann Ware is currently filing a claim against the NFL and her former Miami Dolphins cheer team for discrimination
04:05based on her gender and religious beliefs.
04:08She says that once her team discovered her vow to wait for marriage, her coaches started singling her out and
04:15attacking her.
04:16It all came to a head in her third season interview.
04:19Usually the interviews, they talk about your dance technique, you know, how you are on choreography, what they expect of
04:27you, things like that.
04:28And nothing of my job was talked about during that interview.
04:33And I went in and I sat down and the first thing the director mentioned was, let's talk about your
04:38vow to wait for marriage.
04:40And I was, I don't know, I remember the feeling of sitting there, kind of like my palms start to
04:48sweat, you know, like your kneecaps start to shake, your heart's pounding because something in me told me like, this
04:55isn't right.
04:56What happened after your interview?
04:58They asked me to change into a bikini to see if I was calendar ready, which was usual, like it
05:04was never a problem before.
05:06But just the fact that I felt like I was attacked for something so personal and so valuable to me
05:13and to then have to change into a bikini and stand in front of them.
05:19I mean, it took a piece of me.
05:21And I remember looking in the mirror and just saying, Kristen, you can leave.
05:28You can walk out right now.
05:30And I didn't.
05:32Kristen Ann was used to being critiqued on her appearance.
05:35It was part of the job.
05:38For her, what crossed the line was feeling disrespected and degraded.
05:43And she's not alone.
05:44This kind of treatment is pervasive across the country.
05:50Bailey Davis, a former New Orleans sensation, says she was kicked off the team for an Instagram photo deemed too
05:57sexy.
05:59Members of the 2013 Washington Redskins cheer team reported being forced to pose topless at a photo shoot while male
06:07sponsors watched.
06:10And former Houston Texans cheerleader Gabriela Davis alleges that she and her teammates were called crack whores and jelly bellies.
06:19I have not spoken to a cheerleader, not one, where they didn't tell me that they were told all the
06:27time that they are not special, that they are just a girl in a uniform.
06:30And there's a million girls that would take their place.
06:34Sarah Blackwell is a lawyer representing Kristen Ann, along with several other former pro cheerleaders who are taking on the
06:40NFL.
06:41It sounds to me like they just want to completely control them.
06:45They have a lot of control over these women.
06:47And the way they get it is by belittling them and making them feel worthless.
06:51You are told that you are only here to be seen and never heard.
06:55Your opinion doesn't matter.
06:56Your voice doesn't matter.
06:57You're completely replaceable.
06:59Why would they say things like that?
07:01I think it's the ownership and the control that they want to have over you.
07:05Not only when you're in the uniform and you're at your job, but when you're away from it.
07:09Sarah gave me access to some of the cheerleaders' handbooks and rules.
07:13I saw guidelines for everything.
07:17Love life, social media, and appearance.
07:24The rules for dealing with players reveal a clear double standard.
07:29Cheerleaders are told to avoid players at all costs.
07:35But the players are free to do what they want.
07:38This is extreme gender discrimination.
07:41And the players can go anywhere they want.
07:43They can text the cheerleaders.
07:44They can call the cheerleaders.
07:45They can follow the cheerleaders on social media.
07:48But if the cheerleaders even accept their request, they can be immediately terminated.
07:54They say it's for the girls' protection, which is sad because we're not in the 1950s here.
08:00Perhaps the best indicator of how they're valued is how much they're paid.
08:05I used to be a Cincinnati Bengal.
08:06But I was paid more being a dancing cupcake than an NFL cheerleader.
08:14It didn't take long for Alexa Brenneman, now Westendorf, a two-season NFL cheerleader for the Cincinnati Bengals, to realize
08:23she was being taken advantage of.
08:25You're expected to pay for your nails, you're expected to pay for your hair, you're going to have to have
08:31a gym membership, stay in shape.
08:33But we were paid around $100 per game.
08:37I added up our practices, our trainings, our appearances, our events, and then divided those hours, and it's less than
08:46$3 an hour.
08:48Alexa filed a lawsuit against the Cincinnati Bengals, and in 2015, the team finally agreed to back pay and to
08:56raise salaries to meet minimum wage.
08:59As these lawsuits come about, women are starting to be paid minimum wage and things are starting to change.
09:06Alexa's case shows that it's possible to take on the NFL and win.
09:11Still, there's a long way to go.
09:14Today, what cheerleaders are paid is less than the players, and in many cases, less than the mascots, less than
09:22the concession stand workers.
09:25I was curious to know what Janine Samuels, as a professional cheer veteran, thought of everything I'd learned.
09:32A lot of cheerleaders that we've spoken to have said one of the things that kept them quiet was this
09:39idea of you're easily replaceable.
09:41I could have a girl in here tomorrow.
09:43The concept of feeling as though you are easily replaceable is valid, I think, for pro cheer.
09:53It's also valid as a reporter, as an anchor, but I think that it's less of a fear and just
10:01part of reality.
10:03And I would hope that women don't allow that reality to hinder them speaking up and voicing concerns or problems
10:14that they may encounter.
10:20Cheerleading has been my life. As a child, it was my outlet.
10:24We're in it because we love it, because we're dancers and we love the sisterhood.
10:28There are so many younger girls that look up to me. I just want to set the tone for them
10:33and show them that this is an attainable dream for them.
10:37While some have used the lawsuits as part of a bigger argument to end pro cheerleading,
10:42the women leading the charge see an opportunity for something else, a chance to be included in the conversation.
10:50I'm just speaking out to make a positive difference for the NFL, not to bash the NFL.
10:56What it's going to take is a team of women that are going to stand up together and say we're
11:01not going to tolerate this any longer.
11:04What do you hope happens with the NFL?
11:06They need to say I hear you to the cheerleaders and that we're going to take effective and real steps
11:15to make this a very professional and lawful environment.
11:20And if their voices are heard, it could transform the sport into something that's truly worth cheering for.
11:33to try and see more.
11:40Thanks for watching Refinery29.
11:42For more videos like this click here.
11:44And to subscribe click here.