Bailey Davis, former New Orleans Saints cheerleader, lost her job as a result of violations to the code of conduct outlined by the team. According to this article, the cheerleaders (all female) are held to starkly different standards than the male football players. The cheerleaders are required to follow strict social media and public appearance rules that the males are not. For instance, cheerleaders are not allowed to have any contact with players, and are not permitted to post certain photos on social media which the organization may deem inappropriate. The article demonstrates how the NFL, and the Saints in particular are dripping with inequality. Women associated with the Saints are made to follow ridiculous rules, which the organization argues is for their protection.
This relates closely to this week’s reading assignment in Women, Law and Culture, which discusses how legislation often lacks in its protections for women. Rather than regulating the misbehavior, women are restricted to makeup for patriarchal norms. It also relates to the fact that society can sexualize, and commodify women, but in reality the women themselves do not have the authority over their own bodies and actions. Another shocking fact that I learned from the article is that cheerleaders are typically paid minimum wage. While I understand that football fans watch to see the result of the game, paying the cheerleaders such a low amount seems ridiculous when many of the players are making millions.
References
Belson, Ken. 2018. “How an Instagram Post Led to an NFL Cheerleader’s Discrimination Case,” The New York Times.
Scutt, Jocelynne A., eds. Women, Law and Culture: Conformity, Contradiction and Conflict (e-book through library). London: Palgrave-MacMillan.