University of Washington receives backlash over flyer promoting ideal cheerleading look
Want to be a cheerleader at the University of Washington? Better work on that bronzed, beachy glow.
A flyer promoting a recommended "tryout look" for prospective University of Washington cheerleaders was removed this week after numerous complaints that it oversexualized and objectified female athletes.
The flyer, captured in screenshots before its removal, encourages auditionees to curl or straighten their hair, wear "girl about town" lipstick and to consider false eyelashes. It cautions against "trendy" hair colors, having tattoos and wearing shirts that cover the midriff.
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Social media users slammed the flyer for perpetuating an unrealistic beauty ideal. Plus, who has time for all that grooming when you're working on an actual routine?
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Others criticized the poster for focusing too much on Western beauty standards.
“One of the first things that comes mind is objectification and idealization of Western beauty, which are values I would like to believe the University doesn’t want to perpetuate,” student Jazmine Perez told the Seattle Times.
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Athletics officials from the university have since said they created the flyer because so many students were asking questions about the cheer audition process.
However, some of the suggestions were ultimately found to be, "inconsistent with the values of the UW spirit program and department of athletics," representatives from the university said in a statement.
On another note, does anyone know what "girl about town" lipstick is?
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Chloe was the shopping editor at Mashable. She was also previously a culture reporter. You can follow her on Twitter at @chloebryan.
