1) We’re all bitches

Cheerleaders in movies are often shown as the Queen Bees, topping the social hierarchy of any school & making sure everyone else knows they’ll never compare. In reality, some of the nicest people I’ve ever known have been cheerleaders. And honestly, being a cheerleader isn’t a one-way ticket to popularity.

2) We wear our uniforms literally every day

We only wear our uniform on game days, and I’m fine with that. Those things get uncomfortable if you wear them for too long, and the anxiety of possibly spilling something on myself and permanently staining my top is just too much to worry about every single day.

3) And about those crop tops...

I’ve only seen crop top uniforms worn by all-star squads and professional teams, NEVER a high school squad. And with how hard schools crack down on their dress codes anymore, this shouldn’t be a surprise.

4) We're all a size 2

Not even close. There is NO size requirement to be a cheerleader, as much as society and pop culture may try to tell us otherwise,

5) Cheer-offs are a thing

The closest I’ve come to a cheer-off is “We’ve got spirit, yes we do, we’ve got spirit, how ‘bout you?” with my high school marching band, and that was always just for fun. Cheerleaders don’t have time for stuff like this during games; we’re too busy actually cheering with the crowd.

6) Tryouts are terrifying

Every tryout I’ve been to, even in college, has been as relaxed and fun as possible while still having the structure of a tryout. And members of the squad never fly solo at leading tryouts or even leading the squad in general; there’s always a coach on standby to make sure no one gets hurt, at the very least.

7) We all look picture-perfect during practice

Practice is for getting sweaty and messing up and doing the dirty work to ensure that we look our best during games.

8) All our cheers are super cheesy

All the cheesy cheers you may have learned during pee-wee cheer in elementary school are kicked to the curb the first chance a coach gets. No cheers with swear words, “like, totally!”, and definitely no butt shaking.

Cheerleading movies are one of the ultimate guilty pleasures, but don't mistake all the drama, uniforms, and performances for the real thing.