Cheerleading Uniforms

Believe it or not, cheerleading uniforms started out very conservatively. Back at the turn of the Twentieth Century, most of the cheerleaders were men and even then, they wore street clothes, not true uniforms. As women began to join in the cheering, they still wore clothes appropriate for the day. A 1906 postcard from Cornell University shows a young female cheerleader proudly carrying a school banner. She is wearing the school colors, but the dress is long sleeved with a high neckline and a long flowing skirt.

Of course, as cheering became more organized, the routines became more complicated and the cheerleaders had to start wearing uniforms that allowed them more freedom of movement. Early on, cheerleading uniforms often had the school letters on the top, which was often a cardigan with buttons. Many cheerleaders wore a turtleneck under the cardigan to give them an extra layer of warmth. The school letters were also often found on the megaphone, a device used to amplify the cheerleader's voice. Another popular cheerleader accessory, pom poms, would appear in the ‘30s, but those were made of paper. Vinyl pom poms were invented in 1965 by Fred Gastoff.

Originally, the male cheerleaders wore trousers while the females wore ankle length wool skirts. By the ‘50s, the skirts of the female cheerleaders had begun to shorten just a bit. Saddle shoes were the choice footwear while the men often wore flat canvas sneakers.

The below the knee cheerleading skirts of the '50s gave way to shorter, pleated skirts in the '60s. Cotton rather than wool was used, which made the skirt lighter and movement was easier. Rather than cardigans, the cheerleaders began to wear crew neck sweaters that were short sleeved. The school letter was still found on the sweater, but some cheerleading squads began having the cheerleader’s name incorporated with the school letters.

The ‘70s saw many cheerleading squads abandoning the restricting saddle shoes for more athletic sneakers. Some squads began wearing sweaters with strips of the school colors and some even began replacing sweaters with vests. The vests were slimming and allowed for more movement. Squads that still used sweaters began to wear them with a tighter fit and shorter in length. One thing that began to change the uniforms of cheerleaders was the skimpy outfits worn by the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. The Cowboy Cheerleaders wore a long sleeved blue button up shirt that showed their waists, a white vest, white hot pants and boots.

By the '80s, the neckline also changed, with cheerleading tops often having a rounded or V-neck line. Through the '90s, skirts continued to get shorter and shorter, which also improved movement for jumps, lifts, and tumbling. Most squads followed a rule that the cheerleading skirt ended at the fingertips when the arms were held to the side. Most stopped wearing turtlenecks.

Today's cheerleading uniforms are often made of polyester or a combination of polyester and spandex. The top is form fitting and may be long sleeved, short sleeved, or have no sleeves. Although many high school squads in the '70s and '80s often showed their midriff, the National Federation of High Schools requires that today's tops cover the midriff while the cheerleader’s arms are at her side. Some cheerleading tops are longer in length, but have cutouts on the chest, shoulders, back, or arms. Most skirts have shortened to 12 – 14 inches long, although some squads wear briefs (called lollies or spankies) underneath. But, the long tradition of wearing school colors has lasted throughout the years.