How could they? What a bunch of bastards …
Since many women have shown an interest in becoming a UW cheerleader, the athletics department put together an infographic to give them the best chance possible.
Just as you should shower, wear a suit and brush your teeth before a job interview, they outlined how to best prep yourself for tryouts.
Are you ready to see hell on earth? Don't say we didn't warn you:
We're just as mad as you are. Fit? Athletic? Enough make-up so that it's visible to fans farther back in the stands? Conservative, dance-oriented clothes?
If you thought people would be okay with this, you don't get offended easily enough.
A Facebook backlash began building online immediately, and the infographic — modeled after similar ones posted by Washington State University and Louisiana State University — was removed before 9 a.m. Tuesday.
According to the Seattle Times, people got pissed in a big way.
“I can’t believe this is real,” said UW student Jazmine Perez, director of programming for student government, via email.
“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,” she said. “As a student of color who looks nothing like the student in the poster, this feels very exclusive.”
Said Signe Burchim, a UW senior: “I think it’s really upsetting and kind of disheartening the way it’s basically asking these women who want to try out to perform their femininity — but not too much.” Such a message would never go out to men trying out for a sport, she said.
In a statement, Husky athletics officials said they created the graphic “in response to a high volume of student questions about cheer and dance team tryouts.”
It was removed after the department “determined that some of the details and descriptions provided were inconsistent with the values of the UW spirit program and department of athletics.”
The best way to check if something is truly sexist or racist is to switch the issue around and see if people get just as offended.
So if you saw a similar poster for the football team and it said things like:
Weight: 210-275 pounds
Height: 5'11"-6'4"
Clothing: Football shit like pads and jerseys, etc.
Build: Incredibly strong, athletic and powerful
Attitude: Aggressive and competitive
Does that piss you off? If the cheerleader one did, this should too. Who the hell does UW think it is, telling aspiring football players what to look like so that they can compete and succeed at football? And since this is a private school and football is an incredibly lucrative part of UW, they can basically dictate what kind of football player would benefit their program the most.
But …
As a scrawny, meek man, I can't believe this is real. One of the first things that comes mind is objectification and exploitation of Western masculinity, which are values I would like to believe the University doesn’t want to perpetuate. As a student of slight build who looks nothing like the student in the poster, this feels very exclusive.
Should I bitch about this, or just move on? Probably the first one.
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