The History of Cheerleading Apparel

Cheerleading as a sport has been around for decades, spanning well over a century. Transitioning over the years from an all-male cheer sport to a now predominantly female sport, and from sideline shouting squads to today’s glam competition teams, cheerleading has come a long way over the years. During this transition, cheerleading apparel has drastically changed from sweaters and long dresses to the current short styles of today’s cheerleaders.

A look at cheerleading uniforms over the years shows a clear and drastic change in how these uniforms have been reinvented and reshaped to reflect the changes in fashion trends of the decade, adoption of the American Culture as well as the athleticism required in the pretty progressive sport. Here’s a look at the history of cheerleading apparel.  

Cheerleading Uniforms in the Early 1900s

Throughout the early 1900s, cheerleading uniforms often represented their school as well as the fashion sense of the times. Cheerleaders, both male and female typically wore a large sweater, which had their school’s name emblazoned on the front. If they were a high school, the letters “H” and “S” often appeared in smaller letters just below the school’s name. When the weather was a bit warmer, they would wear polo shirts instead of the heavier sweaters.

Considering that cheerleading involves performing various rhythmic and athletic movements, combined with constant cheering, these sweaters were a hindrance to overall cheerleading performance and functionality. For women, they wore an additional ankle-length wool skirt that was normally darker than the sweater, matched with flat canvas sneakers or saddle shoes with dress socks to complete the look.

This general style of cheerleading apparel remained relatively the same for several decades, largely due to the limited types of clothing fabrics available and the fashion trends of the times. Unlike those days, today, cheerleading uniforms now reflect the athleticism of the sport, while keeping the glam, according to an article on the evolution of cheerleading uniforms.

How the First Cheer Camp in 1948 Changed Everything

In 1948, Lawrence Herkimer, a former SMU cheerleader, created the first cheer camp, which was a huge turning point in the world of cheerleading apparel. Considering that cheer camp is the best platform for aspiring and current cheerleaders to go and learn new skills and perfect their stunts and moves, which were quickly evolving and becoming more complex, the cheerleading uniforms worn at the camp needed to be more functional and comfortable.

The first cheer camp in 1948 pretty much changed everything in cheerleading apparel. It formed the basis for clothing ideas and innovation to make uniforms more ideal to allow a full range of motion. The collared shirts, sweaters and long khaki-like shorts of the 1900s were quickly replaced by more lightweight tank tops and Soffe knit shorts. As cheerleading continued to become more popular, the need to show support, unity and spirit resulted in matching apparel.

With time, tanks and shorts became available in a few colors, then as the number of cheerleading squads grew, the design and color options also expanded. Cheerleading teams started customizing their own uniforms by embroidering or printing their mascot or school’s name on them. Cheerleading camps had by then become more popular and begun planning annual events for squads. Different companies were now designing their own cheerleading uniforms, accessories and practice wear.  

Cheerleaders on the Spotlight in 1982

With the needs of cheerleading as an activity growing, combined with its popularity in various sports, the television industry showed an interest in broadcasting cheerleading activities. In 1982, the very first cheerleading competition on television was broadcast by ESPN. This put cheerleaders in the spotlight. From that first broadcast, the popularity of cheerleading as a sport took off, leading to drastic changes in apparel expression.