The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders open up about online scrutiny in season 3 trailer
The first trailer for season three of America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders has officially arrived and we already need to binge it, yesterday.
For two years, our winters have been defined by the reality television show as it managed to unexpectedly weasel its way into our hearts. DCC follows the gruelling audition process that starts when thousands of women from around the globe apply to join the ranks of the world’s most high profile cheer team.
When season one dropped, we expected to see things like cut-through eliminations, dance routines, (lots) of hair extensions, and (even more) tears. But what we didn’t expect was for the show to spark conversations about women working in male-dominated spaces and the gender inequality that comes with that, often in the form of disparaging comments, bullying, and pay disparity.
The latter was a huge focus of season two, as news broke prior to the show’s premiere that the DCC had received a pay rise. What eventuated was an investigation into whether the pay rise was fair, and though it seemed impressive on paper, once compared to the Dallas Cowboys football players’ salaries, it was woefully low. So low that many cheerleaders still require to work additional jobs on the side to afford the cost of living. The cheerleaders have increasingly become a drawcard for fans attending the games, drawing closer to the players in terms of popularity and spending power, so the big question of season two was whether the organisation would listen.
Image: @dccheerleaders via Instagram
In the season three trailer, there’s a distinct shift in focus. The audition process is still front and centre, with Australia’s own Faith Ward finally arriving on our screens, but with it comes a spotlight on the online scrutiny the women face online as a result of their elevated public profiles.
Reece Weaver, who was the breakout star of season one (in which she embarked on her rookie season) was featured in the trailer commenting on the negativity she’s faced as a result of her 2.2 million followers on Instagram and TikTok. “As much positivity as I receive, there’s also loads of negativity,” she tells the camera. Another DCC says: “You take all of your deepest insecurities and thousands of people are like, ‘agree, agree, agree’.”
Image: Courtesy of Netflix
What follows are women on the team speaking about the dehumanising nature of the comments they receive online, with people viewing them as characters rather than human beings and seemingly just waiting for them to “mess up”. It’s undeniable that they are under an incredible amount of scrutiny. When Ward was recruited (spoiler, sorry!) to the team last year and became the only cheerleader to wear her hair up in a ponytail while performing, immediately, thousands of people on social media had questions and opinions, flooding her comment section about something as innocuous as a hair style. In the end, Ward explained that her hair just danced better in a ponytail.
While it’s impossible to know the exact directions the season will take us this year, we will be watching the entire season in one night when it drops on June 16. Of course, we’ll be sharing all of our thoughts right here.
