I can't believe they have cheering at the Olympics. Is that a new thing? I guess I'm a fuddy duddy but that seems to be in conflict with the reverent tone I associate with the games.

Also those do not look like cheering outfits, they look like bikinis.

i loathe the very idea of cheerleaders at the Olympics. It is so degrading to female athletes and when cheerleaders in bikini's are paraded out, it makes a mockery out of women in sports.

so yeah, no thanks.

There's cheerleaders at the Olympics? Seriously? I have no words.

It could just be the hours I've tuned in, but I feel like there has been pretty poor coverage of most sports outside of swimming, gymnastics, and beach volleyball. I'd complain about the lack of time devoted to all the Olympic athletes in those sports that don't get much air time before expressing concern about the lack of cheerleaders on TV.

Olympic cheerleaders? WTF?

I know some people say cheerleading is a sport, but I highly doubt you can claim that for this case.

I notice that no one here has mentioned the female runners from Islamic countries wearing sprinter outfits that cover them from head to toe according to their cultural standards of modesty. You trumpet the skimpy outfits that some female athletes wear but don't mention the modest ones. It appears these women CHOOSE what they wear to compete, so it hardly seems to be society's/men's fault if they choose to wear less.

It is an inherent contradiction in feminism. You want to empower women to be free to choose how to behave, unless they choose to behave in ways that you don't approve of such as deciding to wear a bikini as part of a job because *gasp* men might like looking. In that case, they are not longer choosing, they are being coerced.

Lisa: The coverage of a sport in any country is directly proportional to the chances of an overwhelming win in the sport for that country.

Wow. As if playing volleyball in skimpy bikinis wasn't enough?

The Olympic cheerleaders appeared on The Today Show this morning, dancing around outside in their bikinis.

Uh? I used to be a cheerleader, and for those of us who know and appreciate the sport - at least how it's done at its top competitive level, the college level - it is not about standing around half-naked in bikinis, taking pictures with obnoxious guys with their tongues hanging out. It's about working your ass off with a team to improve and compete, just like any other sport.

This "cheerleading" is not cheerleading at all. These women require little to no talent or skill. They're there to be looked at like tourist attractions, not to be athletes, and that's bullshit.

Bondo, it doesn't matter whether women wear their full modest outfits or bikinis because the "cultural standards of modesty" you mention are, in both and all cases, dictated by PATRIARCHAL IDEALS. This is the problem that feminism has with what women wear. Women are taught to be and are placed in passive positions to be gawked at like lawn decorations, while men are rarely gawked at; they are the active agents who do the looking. Women wearing full outfits still belong to a religion which assumes they're going to be gawked at just by virtue of being women.

I think its time to start laughing at the men for being so evolved and enlightened! Clearly it could be a good laugh.

But the fact that different competitors can dress differently means that ultimately it is up to the women involved, not patriarchy, on how they choose to portray themselves. I do think there are plenty of Muslim women who choose to obey the dictate on modesty because it is meaningful to them, not because of patriarchy. Just as I think there are plenty of women who are comfortable wearing a bikini to play beach volleyball because they prefer it, not because of patriarchy. They have these choices separate from patriarchy, meaning patriarchy does not control them, even if it signals to them.

I don't buy for a second that women are taught to be passive "lawn decorations"...I don't know what decade you are thinking about but it isn't this one. It is a bad stereotype to claim that men are simply out to bag the hottest woman he can find. That men notice the sexual component does not mean they do not notice or appreciate other components of a being. I don't necessarily see the problem with this. To the degree that women notice the sexual component less in men, I'm not sure it is to the benefit of men. I see no reason to subjugate the sexual part of humanity.

No, in that sense of the word, these are not cheerleaders, they are round girls, race queens, or the type of young women that pose at e.g. automobile exhibitions.

Considering sex work is supported as a choice here, what is the problem if women choose to do this work (and it was probably highly selective)? Why berate these female workers for having "little talent or skill"? I don't know their educational or work background, but should they be working retail, in a factory for 30 cents an hour, or back on the farm instead? See into Chinese residence permit requirements (they regulate where their own citizens may live), and see that people able to legally work or live in an urban area like Beijing, is by their standards, fortunate. China is rife with economic refugees of their own citizens, "illegals", without the proper residence papers. Factory conditions can be deplorable, but still highly sought out work for a mostly rural, agrarian population.

You can judge society or men for this situation, but it's harsh to judge the women, particularly in a developing nation without a tradition of feminism.

Also, while living in Japan, I was reading how Chinese economic expansion is not keeping up with the positive explosion in development of universities, and millions of university graduates are without white collar work, each year, even in urban areas. It's created a crisis for many rural families who've sacrificed to educate their sons and daughters, who can't find well paying urban or white collar jobs.

It's not like Chinese have a real choice of jobs. It could be working at the Olympics, like me working on a local movie set for "Tropic Thunder" while looking for a full time job, was simply the thing to do.

I don't think anyone here is blaming women for their choices. However, saying that feminism is contradicting itself seems to miss out on some bigger points.

Many social norms dictating acceptable choices (what to wear, when to wear it and where) for female dress are in place to appease male sexuality. These same norms serve also to absolve male responsibility (to a certain degree) and to limit women's choices in other areas of life.

If women can choose to wear bikinis to serve coffee or hamburgers, or choose a career as a stripper, they should be able to breast feed in public with no problems.

Women's attire should not serve as an invitation for harassment or as justification in her own victimization.

A woman's team who chooses to wear a tight outfit doesn't deserve gratuitous ass shots any more than the male wrestlers rolling on the ground.

The Beach volleyball uniform bikini's are regulation size. Some Beach Volleyball competitors reported that they used to wear bigger shorts, but the regulation changed. Others complained about basically having to pull wedgies out the whole game and really hating it. So no, it's not always a personal choice.

"it is an official requirement that women play in bikinis whose sides do not exceed 6cm of material. Apparently an extra inch of material is going to help them cheat or something."

http://blogs.news.com.au/adelaidenow/sundaymail/index.php/adelaidenow/comments/clementine_ford_she_wore_an_itsy_bitsy_teeny_weeny_yellow_polka_dot_bikini/

"The briefs should be in accordance with the enclosed diagram, be a close
fit and be cut on an upward angle towards the top of the leg. The side width
must be maximum 7 cm."

This is from the official regulations for the Athens 2004 Olympics. Those same official regulations state that men are allowed to wear a tank top and shorts, with no mention of the maximum amount of clothing they can have on any part of their body.

http://209.85.215.104/search?q=cache:wrnYguJM6wYJ:www.fivb.org/EN/BeachVolleyBall/Competitions/Olympics/WATH2004/2004%2520Specific%2520Events%2520Regulations.pdf+beach+volleyball+regulation+uniform+2008&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=us

(p.37 - clothing regulations)

I agree with allegra. This is not the cheerleading represented by the high school I went to. Calling parading around in a bikini "cheerleading" gives actual, competitive cheerleading a bad rap. I'd say they are more dancing.

I remember seeing this display during the men's beach volleyball and thinking that it was unnecessary, even as an assuredly heterosexual man.

There is something almost sacred about the Olympics, and to have the "cheerleaders" (though, as has been well documented in the comments, they're not actually cheerleaders) there takes away from the phenomenon for me, it distracts from watching the great athletes at work.

I don't know, it just seems like a tawdry attempt to get a little extra attention, and I don't really think it's necessary.

So, chicks cheering on volleyball. I am SO not outraged. Personally I think that it is the only responsible thing to do. Either cheer or cook, well maybe clean, after the cooking that is.

So, chicks cheering on volleyball. I am SO not outraged. Personally I think that it is the only responsible thing to do. Either cheer or cook, well maybe clean, after the cooking that is.

After hearing so much complaining about the bikini outfits of the women's beach volleyball teams it was hilarious to see the US woman's beach volleyball team watch the US men compete, WHILE WEARING BIKINIS. Apparently they're forced to wear such demeaning attire even when they aren't competing? Who knew???

The hole this punches in the patriarchal argument is almost as big as the hole punched in the argument by the Olympics regulations themselves, which allow women to wear 1 pieces if they want. So it really is about individual choice. (http://www.fivb.org/EN/BeachVolleyBall/Competitions/Olympics/WATH2004/2004%20Specific%20Events%20Regulations.pdf - page 40/41).

As for these bikini clad cheerleaders, if they're as happy wearing them as the volleyball players are wearing their's, then I don't really see the problem. It seems that some are against the sexualization of women, except when they're for it.

I don't get why asshole sexist guys keep posting here. You're not exactly going to convert anyone on this board. So you are wasting your time and babbling on for nothing. Go belch or something.

Oooh, a chance to use my new killfile app! Sweet!

I love how guys just mosey over here and declare that swimwear is foundational problem of Feminism, threatening to rip the entire discipline apart at the seams. They're like little kids who think they've discovered something huge. It's cute, in a way.

"I don't get why asshole sexist guys keep posting here. You're not exactly going to convert anyone on this board. So you are wasting your time and babbling on for nothing. Go belch or something."

Exactly. Especially since they aren't bothering to even read the comments.

For example, nobody said that women's teams were being forced (i.e. gun to the head or told they couldn't play) to wear the skimpiest outfit. So why are people responding this?

It's obvious to anyone who watched them play that they are comfortable in the outfit so I see no special insight learned from the fact that they wore the outfits later on.

Either you believe there are social norms in place that unfairly sexualize women based on how much skin they are showing or you don't.

Either you recognize that some of these norms place an unfair legal and social burden on women or you don't.

The fact that people make choices either way based on these norms does not mean that the norms do not exist. The fact that some people don't give a shit about the norms doesn't mean that the norms do not exist.

Dont guys ever get sick of acting like children?

Is the purpose of this site for a bunch of people who agree to go back and forth agreeing with each other? You don't want people who sometimes disagree on some aspects being part of the discussion?

Just because I don't buy every premise does not make me an "asshole sexist guy." I certainly understand that norms exist, some of them place unfair burden on women (some of them place unfair burden on men) and we should work to change those norms (with legally binding norms being the priority). The main point I'm making, is that people do ultimately have the choice to either go along with or go against norms. It is wrong that some legitimate choices are made harder by these norms, but it is a disservice to ourselves to be dictated by the norms.

I do for example agree with all of this from above:

If women can choose to wear bikinis to serve coffee or hamburgers, or choose a career as a stripper, they should be able to breast feed in public with no problems.

Women's attire should not serve as an invitation for harassment or as justification in her own victimization.

A woman's team who chooses to wear a tight outfit doesn't deserve gratuitous ass shots any more than the male wrestlers rolling on the ground.

*sigh* Why is it that every time something comes up about what women are being made to wear in their work, the men come out of the woodwork and start saying that we have a problem with the choices women make. That's not the way I interpreted this piece, nor do I believe that was the focus of the author's attention. The point is NOT that these women have chosen to work in cheerleading, nor that they have chosen to wear bikinis. The point is that 'bikini cheerleading' has been present at the Olympics - the one place where women compete as much as the men do - to make sure that we don't forget that women are to be stared at, not appreciated as talented human beings.

These cheerleaders are not there to show off their skill, talent, and hard training. And I sincerely doubt that the reason these drunkards wanted their photo taken with them was because they cheered so well.. the point is that they're being used as OBJECTS to be stared at and seen as little sexy dolls men can fantasize about, as opposed to the female olympic athletes who are SUBJECTS doing an action to be appreciated, subjects who are often interviewed, have their voice heard, we hear about their lives etc. Where are the in=depth "what were you feeling during that event?" interviews with the cheerleaders.. I'm willing to bet if an interview did happen it would be along the lines of "So what's your favourite colour? Do you have a boyfriend?" etc. etc. etc.

If these women had discovered they were doing the olympics, looked at several team outfits, considered the athletic abilities they would be able to utilise in those outfits, and then taken a team vote and come up with: THE BIKINI!! Then I would be VERY surprised, considering that a bikini doesn't allow for much athleticism. BUT I would still say "well, that's what they want to wear and that's what they think will work best for them". However, the chances are that their probably-male manager, or the IOC coordinator of the cheerleading, decided on the outfits for them - just as the volleyball teams didn't choose their outfits. That's the point - not that they're wearing a bikini at the beach, but that they're being MADE to wear bikinis at the OLYMPICS, and not even for a beach event, in a STADIUM! It doesn't make any sense.

What's the test for this? Well just think.. if an Olympic swimmer decides she wants to wear a different swimsuit, she can change (within sponsorship agreements probably). If one of these cheerleaders said "Listen I still want to cheer but to be honest I feel uncomfortable about showing so much of myself because I think it'll draw away from the impact of our actual cheers, and that nobody will consider me as a human being and only as a body".. well, basically they would say "you don't like it? tough. leave."

And THAT'S why it's not an issue of women's choice.

Those don't look like cheerleaders. The bikini makes them look like Race Queens.

I've always thought of cheerleaders as a very American concept...I mean, this is just a personal observation and is not meant to disparage anyone who is a cheerleader, but why is there a need for a cheerleader?

Is it because they serve the function of keeping the team's morale up? I would think that just playing the game and hearing the crowd cheer and knowing that the crowd is behing you would be enough.

I would think that another purpose would be to provide some sort of entertainment at "half-time"...When I think of cheerleading, I think of American football, or American basketball. In the global football game (Soccer to Americans), although here is a half-time, but I've never seen cheerleaders entertaining the crowd....hence, why it seems like a rather strange concept to bring it to the Olympics, which is a global sporting arena.

From a purely image analysis standpoint: There is a visible hierarchy, power and race dynamic of white males placed, towering over the bleachers (like vultures), above the women of color on ground level. The men appear very focal, with mouths open, yelling towards the women whereas the women are silent with posed smiles. This is very disturbing.

Re: the female volleyball players' one-piece and bikini options. The players (sorry, can't remember whom precisely was quoted) remarked that sand easily became trapped beneath the fabric of the one-piece, ergo they opted for the bikinis merely to avoid the additional discomfort of the one-piece. Interesting how they were given two options: skimpy bikini-style outfit or a less-revealing outfit that will feel like sandpaper grating against your skin by the end of the match. Gosh, what a respectful choice to give our ladies, hmmmm?

Little girls raised within the context of a patriarchal society become desensitized to the flagrantly offensive sexism underlying such "innocent" traditions as scantily clad cheerleaders and waitresses nationally regarded for their ability to fill out a clingy shirt. When friends, family, and society act like it's perfectly normal to treat women as sex objects, of course you grow up to think nothing of taking a job as a scantily clad cheerleader, or a Hooter's waitress.

It's considered normal in our society to demean, humiliate, and subjugate women, and that is why most people can't "see" sexism. It's also why so many little German children thought it was perfectly normal to consign Jewish citizens to concentration camps where they were starved and tortured to death. It's also why so many abused women can't "see" that they're in an abusive relationship - when you're raised in an abusive environment, dysfunctional behavior appears normal to you (that's not to say that every single women in an abusive relationship was raised in a dysfunctional family; there are exceptions to every rule). When you aren't cognizant of your own degradation, humiliation, and subjugation, it's natural to go with the flow created by societal norms. I would bet anyone here $500 that if a small contingent of informed feminists took those Olympian "cheerleaders" by the hand and patiently explained to them how their job harms them and perpetuates deleterious values and beliefs, at least one of them would instantly "get it" and be fueled with a fiery outrage at her culture for tricking her into actively participating in her own oppression.

P.S. Excellent response, Goanna! I loved the object/subject juxtaposition.

Gah, can't think straight tonight! For reading comprehension purposes, I should've concluded the German children/Jews analogy by mentioning that a vast number of children couldn't "see" the horrific circumstances of the Jewish internment because it was presented by society as a necessary and natural course of action.

In questioning the need for women in particular occupations/sports to wear brief clothing, other women are told that they are in fact disallowing a group of women to CHOOSE what they wear, and are therefore as guilty of imposing restrictions on women's choices as non-feminists. This is the real issue here - is it really the woman's choice, or is it a prerequisite for the job/sport?

These women would have been selected to be "cheerleaders' because they have a certain body type that looks good in a bikini. In a country such as China, one would question the element of choice for these women, on economic and/or cultural grounds. As Goanna has stated, if one were to say that she'd prefer to wear an outfit that offered more covering, she'd be out of a job. However in singling out China for such behaviour is unfair, because plenty of the same sort of "job requirements" are imposed on women in a variety of occupations in the West. The aim is always to increase male patronage due to the "perve factor" amongst those males who see this is a positive way to view women (for themselves).

It is a pity that an event such as the Olympics, which supposedly upholds lofty virtues of cooperation between countries, and good sportsmanship between competitors, has allowed itself to embrace an aspect of popular culture, that is sexism, which demeans half the world's population.

These women are not there for any reason to do with sport. Surely the participants in the sports themselves and the competition between them are enough to engender cheering and support in the crowd? Isn't that what the Olympics is about? These women are mere eye candy, and the photo of the Caucasian drunken morons ogling the bikini-clad Asian women above is disturbing.

One can only hope that the officials in charge of the London Olympics in 2012 do not follow this new "tradition" like sheep, and show respect to athletes and viewers alike.

On this topic: Bikini-clad "cheerleaders" at the beach volleyball arena in the OLYMPICS is completely inappropriate. Their only purpose is to be oggled.
Curling doesn't have cheerleaders and people still watch THAT sport (winter olympics).

Volleyball athletes attire: nej said it perfectly. The women don't seem to have a fair choice. The one piece hurts, and the bikini bottoms are tiny (according to regulation). If the female athletes were given every option for attire (shorts, full-body suit, t-shirt), and they still chose the bikinis they wore this olympics, then that is a fair choice.

Also, nej, I loved this: "...one of them would instantly "get it" and be fueled with a fiery outrage at her culture for tricking her into actively participating in her own oppression."
Every woman (and man) needs to "get it."

eve and AliCat - you said it better than I can!

This photo just creeps me the hell out, there´s a very threatening feel to the dynamic in it... the men just look so aggressive and potentially out of control, looming like a pack of salivating dogs over these women.

eve and AliCat - you said it better than I can!

This photo just creeps me the hell out, there´s a very threatening feel to the dynamic in it... the men just look so aggressive and potentially out of control, looming like a pack of salivating dogs over these women.

Well I'm no professional photo-analyst, but it appears to me as though they are all enjoying themselves. As for lack of media coverage of the cheerleaders.. what exactly is the problem? The media takes into consideration the demographic of the Olympic games. It covers a wide variety of age and gender. So why should some who might find the material controversial be exposed to it in the first place?

Let's remember that the justification for "modesty" in many Muslim countries is that men need to be "protected" from a woman's attractiveness, lest they be succumb to temptation. Rather than acknowledging that men can't control themselves, let's blame the women and make them cover up.

I'm so sick of men thinking that women base their sense of self-worth on how many guys ogle them.