The Washington Redskins’ cheerleaders recently performed in Hyderabad Bangalore, during an Indian Premier League cricket match. A Washington Post reporter took the following photo:
(Click on the photo to see the faces of the men a bit more clearly.)
There is also a detailed Washington Post article about the event here. Also, we wrote about the rival Twenty20 cricket league, the ICL, here; cheerleaders seemed to be a part of the mix there as well.
Can bollywood handle this competition from the west for the ogling eyes of indian men?
“Cheering ladies versus leering chaddies.”
15 · pingpong said
lol i think its just the angle they are standing in and the angle the photographer was in made it look like that.
14 · Rahul said
My favorite!
Ok, I’ll add one, lame as it may be:
Raj: These cheerleaders are so hot! Especially the one on the left…she’s a 6!!
Cheerleader: This is totally a harsh crowd. I know I’m at least an 8, but no one is giving me anything better than a 6!
NFL cheerleaders don’t get paid right? So did they get paid for this gig by Mallya or did the Redskins get paid? Such a sexually repressed lot we are in India. So little in India whether it is a basic thing such as sanitation or the law, or working hours, is written with women in mind. India’s record with womens’ welfare is the pits, and all the more glaring because of high flown rhetoric. This is insultig to women in India. Such a terrible thing. As for WashPo and competence, when it comes to India or Hinduism it is not required.
From the Wapo article:
An Ayurvedic doc called Kerala, and a merry one at that. Ladies and Gentlemen, Emily Wax has efortlessly adapted to life in fantastic India
56 · jyotsana said
How are cheerleaders insulting to Indian women?
Working Hours! And working hours in the rest of the corporate world are women friendly? At peak periods you have extremely long hours in most companies and most countries.
Melissa, looks like we are the only women in the stadium.
M. Nam
“This is the spectacularization of the game of cricket. One-third of these people are here to see the cheerleaders,” said Boria Majumdar, a sports historian and a commentator for India’s TimesNow news channel. He was conducting live interviews from the stadium. “Sexuality and cricket is the way forward. And it’s time India wakes up to the fact that it’s a different society. It’s a modern society. There’s no use keeping it all under wraps.”
That plagiarist Boria is spewing nonsense.
And from that ultimate cheerleader movie, Bring It On, here is The Toro’s cheer:
I’m sexy, I’m cute, / I’m popular to boot. I’m bitchin’, great hair, / The boys all love to stare, / I’m wanted, I’m hot, / I’m everything you’re not, / I’m pretty, I’m cool, / I dominate the school, / Who am I? Just guess, / Guys wanna touch my chest, / I’m rockin’, I smile, / And many think I’m vile, / I’m flyin’, I jump, / You can look but don’t you hump, / Whoo / I’m major, I roar, / I swear I’m not a whore, / We cheer and we lead, / We act like we’re on speed, / You hate us ’cause we’re beautiful, / Well we don’t like you either, / We’re cheerleaders, / We are cheerleaders.
40 · portmanteau said
Allright. Forget about those sluts. Perhaps you should participate in the entrepreneurial spirit.
De-lurker, liked the point you made.
India does need to become more liberal in thought and I am quite happy with the so-called “Western influence” in some spheres. However, it always troubles me when people confuse women’s empowerment with Western culture–they don’t seem to see that some Western practices lead back to the same problem.
62 · Rahul S said
Done and done. Dude, back row in the middle.
63 · Suchi said
Westernization without modernization!
65 · Rahul S said
True…if such “cheerleading” activities make women more as objects in the eyes of masses then there is no true liberalism or progress. But if these cheerleaders inculcate an atmosphere of freedom for Indian women to make a choice and engender a dignity for any profession/labour then this is not bad. On a more philosophical and moral note I think cheerleading falls in the same category as other controversial issues like the long working hours in Bombay bars and dance clubs or the role of women in (legal) prostitution and pornography in any country.
66 · Bridget Jones said
Your saying that “cheerleading” is going to help Indian women out. Really? Men are really sexually deprived there. These “girls” are going to be treated as ass. Look at western culture. It’s morally degrading. Why do you think Muslim countries despise the West (because they’re successful and the cultural left promotes morally degrading behavior) Once you go to conservative cultures like India, and introduce this, it’ll become like the West. Cheating on your spouse is allright, abortions are fine, divorces are great, etc. Look at the divorce rate of my parents generation (Indian immigrants..pretty low). Once my generation starts marrying, I guarantee you that the divorce is going to go up. I know a bunch of family friends who have kids, and they’ve started divorcing like crazy. Maybe, the form of liberalism that you want to help your lady chicks is to advocate education that was limited to women before. Indra K. Nooyi is a good model. Western culture will make more girls skanks in Bharat.
Hi all, First off, I know a lot of the twenty-somethings (going by displayed levels of immaturity) will howl “Pardesi Gori” the moment they get past the first sentenc. Well, you can insist I am her, but as far as I know, I don’t think I’m her. However, the PG-spotters seem to be a perseverant and astute bunch, so I’m sure they’d be right if they came to that lucid conclusion.
My name is Preeti and I live in Bangalore — a neighbourhood called HSR Layout. I was walking around the compound of the local temple in the evening today — mind you Bangaloreans take their religion very seriously. I was molested in that ostensibly holiest of places, by a 13/14-year old. I’m 33, old enough I think, to be his mother. Since the cheerleaders in question belong to the Royal Challengers, I wonder if anyone wants to know what daily life is like for an ordinary woman in Bangalore? How is it remotely relevant to the discussion at hand?
It is, because ordinary women like me are within reach of all those half-crazed, ogling men that the Washington Post framed so tellingly. Those gora memsahibs, (because that’s what they still are), are not. They can retire into the safety and protection of their air-conditioned Tucsons and their five-star rooms. Women like me cannot.
We have to contend with harrasment every day in Bangalore (and the rest of India). Is there empirical evidence to prove that objectification via item numbers and cheerleaders will further increase the incidence of harrasment? Probably not. Is harrasment and gender prejudice a reality of my life? Yes. I find it ironical that foreign cheerleaders are imported to perform for the sexual edification of the male population of a country that is sytematically killing its own female babies. Maybe a shape of things to come?
Our country kills women and girl children on a scale unrivalled elsewhere, insists that most of its women live their lives according to a value system that is unjust at best, heinous at worst (a medium-roasted bride anyone?), yet feels no apparent discomfort in importing semi-naked cheereaders in a vain attempt to be… what? More American than George Bush?
I know all the men here will get that jaded “why do we care look” in their eyes. Maybe you’re right, why should you care? But, if more Indian men had the moral courage to acknowledge sexism and do just a wee bit to reduce it, perhaps ordinary women like me wouldn’t need to write hate-filled rants, or waste so many of our years being victms of it.
Cheerleaders wouldn’t really be a big deal if Indian women had the same rights and fredoms as Amercan women. But we don’t, do we? We are Manu’s daughters, after all.
Rahul @67,
I am not saying cheerleading will help or not help. I think the masses in any country should give respect to cheerleading profession in the same way as that of Indra Nooyi. I call for dignity and respect for labour and I don’t want to take any moral judgement on what it can denigrate to. If you have objection to cheerleaders but don’t have any objection to equivalent stuff on sitcoms, bollywoods/hollywoods which is considered ok then that is hypocrisy. I want to place all prostitutes, cheerleaders, models, film stars or any other “denigrating” profession in the same platform as Indra because in any country they would taken up that profession due to some constraints by the very same society or family which you cliam it will corrupt. If one wants one kids to not go in a particular direction then that is fine but I don’t think I have any right to pass judgement on somebody’s professsion influencing society. This is my current mode of thinking but I open to more discussions and revisions
Rahul S:
Dinesh D’Souza? Is that you?
preeti,
i doubt anyone will jump to your bait, but this is a ‘caption this’ thread. You inability to understand this basic rule and your attempt to steer this conversation into endless-circle PG territory are both hallmarks of PG herself. If you don’t have a sense of humor, that’s understandable, but don’t shit on our parade because you don’t like the tone.
Once you go to conservative cultures like India, and introduce this, it’ll become like the West. Cheating on your spouse is allright, abortions are fine,
I think when it comes to abortions, India may be number 1 in the world.
71 · Nayagan said
Nayagan very true…people for some obvious reasons are getting very serious abt cheerleaders 🙂
Does anybody here, who watched the last Super Bowl recall anything about the Pats or Giants cheerleaders.
If the NFL get rid of the cheerleaders there would be very little outrage.
Collectively they “DING”
71 · Nayagan said
Yeah, how DARE you take this seriously! The man from the United States says you may only laugh!
[INSULT DELETED]
Preeti
Your white girl=obsenity=empowerment equation doesnt make sense. Obscenity is not empowerment. Apparently you dont seem to have a problem with homegrown obscenity (raunchy music videos/wet rain dances LOL) but with imported ones. White girls are not obscene. It is our south asian media that paints them as the stereotypical bikini babes. They deal their own problems in the west.
69 · Bridget Jones said
I’m sure conservative countries are going to embrace that.
70 · pingpong said
Nope. I just read his books. Plus, the Portuguese didn’t convert my relatives, unlike his.
70 · pingpong said
It didn’t quote right last time.
Nope. I just read his books. Plus, the Portuguese didn’t convert my relatives, unlike his.
68 · Preeti said
With all due respect, this was true of India before the advent of cheerleaders. The North is much worse in the way ordinary women on the street are treated. Does that mean we should curb freedom of speech in the public arena/choice of profession for women? I think that is punishing the wrong party. I know that Vijay Mallaya is not concerned about either of those issues, but nevertheless, cheerleading is a career opportunity for some women. What we need is unequivocal public condemnation of and judicial action against oglers, molesters, and rapists — rather than a red herring debate between that distinguishes westernization and modernization. Of course, westernization does not equal modernization. Also — let’s be very clear that India itself has a fine home-grown tradition of the objectification of women (before it was permissible to show a heroine as sexually expressive, the producers in various desi film industries did it through vamps; item numbers are not new — Helen’s whole career was based on their popularity). It is not wrong for women to want to be cheerleaders, if they are able to make a considered decision, but it is wrong for men to leer. And I’m assuming ordinary women are not walking in cheerleader outfits, but ‘decent’ clothing and yet still pretty vulnerable to sexual violence that has few or no consequences for the perpetrator.
I would tend to think that “wanting to become a career cheerleader” and “leering” are more similar than different–both should be legal, but I would think/hope that a lot of families would want to discourage their kids from doing either. Outlawing “ogling” seems deeply problematic–see, e.g., J.S. Mill!
Topcat, If you were to read my post seriously, and with something approaching attention, you would see the words ‘item number’somewhere. Since you are obviously not inclined in that direction, I will not deign to answer you.
Enjoy your earnest attempt at reading any meaning of your choice into my post.
Nayagan,I am very honored to see that you immediately jumped to my PG-baiting. Did you check to see whether PG was hiding in your bedroom closet last night? How about under your bed? Is she trolling your dreams too? Really. You make me laugh.
74 · Suki Dillon said
The Giants don’t have cheerleaders. And I recall many things about the game including yelling 18 and 1 with a totally diverse set of men and women in the bars and streets of NY that night. And yeah, some of the women were dressed as if they could have been cheerleaders. Good times.
You obviously haven’t heard about the history of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders or how cheerleaders are integral to the raising of team profits and stadium attendance. If the Cowboys got rid of their cheerleaders, who are an institution in Texas, there certainly would be an outrage. Another example: During the Riley era, the introduction of the Knicks City Dancers which have now become a staple at MSG and often the only thing worth watching at a Knicks game.
Lastly, many of the cheerleaders are college educated or cheerleading to make money (for school) or transitioning to drama or dance professions. I know this because I have been lucky enough to have met one or two in my lifetime. (Thanks to (insert deity or god that you believe in) Unfortunately, none of these fine women were able to make aloo paranthas. 🙁
Back to the humor: Raju: “I bet you they’ll put a picture of us on sepia mutiny” Jeet: “Yeah and then there’ll be a bunch of people who start flaming over what the implications of these women cheerleading means with respect to issues on gender and socioeconomic dynamics” Raju: “Yup” (Pause) Both: “Yaar, these chicks are hot”. Jeet: “Don’t forget tomm. we’re taking the wives and the kids to the park….Oh and we weren’t here”.
82 · rob said
sorry rob. good catch. leering i guess should be legally permissible but still carry social stigma. however, when i think of leering in the desh, i also think of uncomfortable invasion of personal space, catcalling, and a few choice remarks. the remarks and physical intimidation ought to be legally prosecutable and of course, prevented by good policing. this won’t happen although, of course, it places several constraints on women and their movement ‘late at night’ or in ‘unsafe’ areas.
82 · rob said
in their legality, yes; but not in intent! why people want to become cheerleaders versus why they choose to leer are activities whose moral import is not equivalent. but i also think that leering is a better (and more appropriate) object for societal disapproval/ostracism.
“If we get good project managers, we can do this offshore at $25 an hour”
86 · portmanteau said
Leering and inappropriate behavior is also a problem at least one U.S. stadium. There was a problem with leering and harassment by male fans at a particular gate during Jets game. Due to the article linked and other news articles, social pressure was applied resulting in the Jets promising to prevent the acts from occuring. I think that’s the type of thing Port’s referring to.
And if you are wondering, the Jets don’t have cheerleaders.
76 · retorts said
I see you are also swollen with rage over the treatment of women in Bangalore temples. Why don’t you write a jeremiad against whitey cheermongers as well?
in fact, i recommend jumping into every post mentioning A)uniforms, B)women, C)cricket, D)whitey and then tying it all together so the people who took this picture as platform for humor can repetitively smack themselves in the forehead while muttering, “Aiyoooo saamyyyyy! Why did I have to cursed with a sense of humor? It has debased women all round the world.”
[INSULT DELETED]
My problem is with you criticizing a woman who actually lives in the country for voicing her opinion on a subject because you, neither Indian nor a woman, have deemed this thread for comedic purposes only. Quality of discussion here fell off heavily when Manish left and it’s even more pronounced now that Anna doesn’t even post anymore. It’s less and less relevant and it’s attitudes like yours that keep the downward swirl going. Stop micromanaging threads, little man.
Portmanteau in 85-86 & Jangali Janwaar in 88: Some good points! I just didn’t want to go so far as to outlaw “ogling.” 😉
90 · retorts said
preeti wrote as if are all somehow responsible (despite not living in India as you so cleverly indicated)–that’s flat wrong. If you’re feeling up to tackling the subject in a careful and considered manner (which may take you a couple of years), by all means hit up Abhi and ask for the keys to the bunker. Then you can spar with Preeti and PG and save us all the trouble.
i’m certainly not the one who wrote the post and tagged it as “humor”–if you have problems with the tag, i would talk to Amardeep. (unless you also believe that I am operating an Amardeep marionette in my spare time away from frontin’ as an Indian)
if you feel the quality of discussion has fallen off, so be it. I certainly don’t care for your opinion on that point. Little or big, i’m just glad i’m not you.
Wow. This is not about whether or not the films show the same amount of skin. This is about the fact that something that’s already considered sexist in the United States is making its way into India. So what if the same sexualization is in films. The point is that it does not need to be transfered over to cricket and sports.
What do these cheerleaders do? In college, they at least do some formations (and some males). But for pro-football teams and the other sports “cheerleading” has crept into? They just wave their pom poms around in the skimpiest outfit possible. There are no men. Just women.
In films, yes there is sexualization and skin being showed. But we also see men being increasingly sexualized. Whether or not that’s good, is not the point. But in pro-sports cheerleading, it’s specifically women just there for the gratification of men.
Isn’t the sport enough? Cricket is a huge sport in India. Young children will no doubt watch the game. And while one can make the argument that children can also watch films, but it’s so much more worse because it’s not some fantasy world. It’s really taking place.
If they really want to put on a show why not some modest performances BW style that is not specifically all females. After all we always see stage performances in almost every media event. Or halftime like performances with songs and just dancers performing.
What that picture portrays is just completely sexist. If people don’t get why some women are not not happy with this, well then I don’t know what else to say.
And on another point. I don’t think it’s going to make these men any less rowdy when they get out of the stadium. If anything, it will just make them even more a headache for the women on the streets.
Portmanteau, By the way I like your name, (think Charles Dodgson/Lewis Caroll). Mostly agree with what you say. I guess most people here would apply the First Amendment/freedom of speech lens to debates of this kind. I don’t know how familiar you are with Indian law, but the legal treatment of freedom of expression here is not even remotely similar to the almost blanket protection Americans enjoy under the First Amendment. Yes, harrasment existed in India well before the cheerleaders set their boot-clad feet here, and will do so well after they are gone. I also agree with your point about Bollywood objectfying women at least for the past 30 years. So is this to be a defense of objectification then? I think Helen jiggling assets in her sequinned outfits was considerably more benign compared to the artistic endeavours of Yana Gupta and Co. Again, that’s just an opinion. The Indecent Representation of Women Act is still very much on the law books — and its a pretty potent tool in the hands of censorship-minded judges.
Most of these cheerleaders appear to be non-Indian, so I’m not sure how your argument about job opportunities for Indian women applies here. Anyways I think the general consensus here is that harrasment is something that Indian women just have to grin and bear.
Just wanted to throw my two cents into the ring —
1) There’s no question that cheerleading is, fundamentally, sexist. Indeed, the reason I linked to this photo is to highlight what I felt was a strangeness in the scene. Thousands of men (and a few women and children), behind a cage (though admittedly, the cage is there to protect spectators from the ball). In front of them, a few scantily dressed foreign women performing. The strangeness of the scene could be comic, or it could be disturbing.
2) I do think globalization is a fact worth talking about, and this is yet another example of it. Naturally, not everything associated with the phenomenon is going to be to everyone’s taste. But the cheerleaders here are only the latest in a long line of phenomena showing the coarseness of global mass culture: think of the foreign women in all the songs in Hindi films these days, for instance. Before that, the fetishization of Baywatch and “FTV”. And even further back, “Hunterwali.”
Nayagan,
You are hopeless. Aiyyoo samii!! Why did I hijack Nayagan’s humour carnival? In all fairness, I agree this was a humor thread — I just had the naivete to think people would actually care to read what I had to say, and sacrifice humor for a few minutes. Thank you for disabusing me of this notion. You may continue the caption competition now. Its of earth-shaking importance and vital to the well-being of those with a gigantic sense of entitlement.
94 · Preeti said
the indian constitution is thought to be the one of best written constitutions (esp the section on fundamental rights, including the very novel cultural rights that indians have; directive principles of state policy which unlike the rights are not enforceable), and the makers are known to be very eclectic in their choice of other model constitutional documents. unfortunately, the spirit of the constitution and the sanctity are absent in public life, although the supreme court is relatively well-regarded (in light of the general problems of the entire judicial system) in its interpretation of the constitution. it is probably more activist wrt american courts. since the constitution is not that permeable in daily life, expecting moral guidance for the public from that source is probably a pipe dream. given that i’m an indian citizen (and for whatever little that counts), i’d rather that indian society take its time in figuring out how we want to deal with sexual expression in the media and public performance, rather than impose censorship from above. i think its anti-democratic to have non-elected persons filter what the public gets to see. in any case, the censor board has far too much arbitrary power in india, and its main concern seems to be cutting politically contentious stuff rather than deal with the gratuitous skin show. i do agree that american legal norms are not appropriate in the indian context. that doesn’t mean i think that censorship is appropriate for india. given how good the bootleg market is in the desh, censorship will probably be unsuccessful in any case. what would good is a high-quality debate on cheerleading. as amardeep points out, cheerleading is inherently a sexist activity. that is a good reason for wanting to remove it from indian public life (rather than that it contradicts some amorphous indian values that only some people in society endorse — which i think it is a terrible reason, or that it will promote violence against women which doesn’t seem to be supported by evidence).
oh and preeti, aren’t the redskins cheerleaders there to train some indian women? at least that is what i thought, but i may be mistaken.
Amardeep, Cage is not there to protect spectators from the ball rather it protects players from missile attacks from the spectators and also stop spectators from running in the ground.
90 · retorts said
That is an ungracious things to say (even if you think it’s true). I am all for your right to defend Preeti and I respect your point of view, but denigrating current bloggers is uncalled for. (I’m saying this without anger and with humility) If you feel that the quality of discussion or blogging here is below par — just don’t come to Sepia. Manish is great, and luckily, available gratis at ultrabrown.