One of the credos for the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders is that cheerleaders, by their definition, are supposed to make everyone feel better — even when they themselves aren’t feeling particularly cheerful. That seems innocent enough, but across the seven hours of Netflix’s America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, we see DCC management weaponize this altruism to inflict a host of harms, from eating disorders and broken hips to embarrassingly low wages and performances in horrendous temperatures. Now, after watching the series, I think I betterunderstand one of the most dark-sided frauds ever perpetrated on American women.
The punishing system that creates these picture-perfect performers is built on a pyramid of harmful ideals, sky-high expectations, regressive beauty standards, dangerous physical demands, seductive but false ideas of sisterhood, and exploitative working conditions. Throughout the show, we witness firsthand behavior that’s usually only brought to light when someone decides to blow a whistle on a sorority, a fraternity, or a cult: the type of manipulation and skewed thinking that’s usually never discussed until the traumatic ordeal is over.
The most compelling thing about America’s Sweethearts isn’t that this behavior exists. It’s that it’s all caught proudly on camera.
The seven-episode docuseries centers on the creation of the 2023 DCC squad. Each year, veteran cheerleaders and rookies try out in the hope of snagging one of the 36 spots. The rule is that you can be a DCC for five years but have to try out each time, competing with a fresh set of younger, more athletic, perhaps more talented newbies.
