Cheerleading Costumes
Cheerleading costumes are some of the more popular Halloween and costume party pieces for women of all ages. What girl didn't want to be a cheerleader at some point in her life?
Cheerleading costumes run the gamut from complicated and realistic versions of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders costumes to "sexy" cheerleader costumes for adults all the way to simplified and modest mock ups of cheerleading costumes for young girls. Think of the cheerleader costume as the young girl's equivalent of a cowboy costume for a young boy.
Because there is such a wide variety of cheerleading costume options, a woman or a young girl can be any kind of cheerleader she wants.
Children's Cheerleading Costumes
Young women see cheerleaders on television, at live sporting events like a high school football game, or in popular media like television and they want to emulate them. Cheerleaders are glamorous but athletic at the same time -- these are young women participating in a group sport, women in excellent athletic condition performing for a crowd, women who are at the center of attention, if just for a moment. Of course young girls want to pretend to be a cheerleader. After all, they're much prettier than the guys on the field playing football.
When choosing a cheerleading costume for a young child, be sure you're selecting a costume that is modest. We all know that cheerleaders are considered "sexy", and that there are adult versions of cheerleading costumes that magnify this look, but this kind of costume is obviously inappropriate for a child.
You'll need to make a couple of decisions when purchasing a cheerleading costume for a young child. Do you want the child to wear a one piece or a two piece cheerleading costume? There are cheerleaders around the world that wear both kinds -- some colleges prefer the one piece look because it is more modest, while many professional cheerleaders wear two piece uniforms. If your child really wants to wear a two piece cheerleading costume, you can be secure in the knowledge that plenty of two piece children's cheerleading costumes exist, that they are made modestly and are still very "cute" without crossing the line into indecent.
Having said that, the one piece cheerleading costumes for kids that are available are plenty authentic, and when you throw in the pom poms, cheerleading shoes, and an appropriately cute ribbon, the child won't even know she's wearing a one piece costume. With young girls, it is really all about the pom poms.
Children's costumes are not very expensive, depending on what retailer you use. Big box stores like Target and Wal-mart have children's costumes on sale after Halloween at greatly reduced rates -- in fact, Target has a child's cheerleading costume on sale right now for under five bucks. In other words -- giving a young girl her dream of being a cheerleader doesn't pack a financial punch.
Halloween Cheerleading Costumes
The cheerleader costume is still a huge hit at Halloween, probably because it is so adaptable. Adults can have fun with the cheerleading costume -- make it sexy, wear a specific team's cheerleading outfit, or adapt the cheerleader look to any number of other Halloween standards. You could purchase a simple adult cheerleading costume then dress it up with fake blood and "dead" makeup to go to a costume party as a dead cheerleader. Really, the Halloween possibilities are endless.
While we're on the topic of adult costumes, we may as well address the "sexy cheerleader" costume. Adult Halloween costumes are generally just "sexy" versions of other costumes -- sexy witch, sexy ghost, sexy nurse, etc. While a cheerleader costume is already fairly sexy (designed as it is to show skin) there are plenty of ways to increase the sex factor -- carry a whip, wear high leather boots, and you're transformed into the S&M cheerleader. Or buy a cheerleader costume just one size too small and you'll be bursting out of it in all the right places.
If you want to avoid the sexy cliche, you can buy a more specific cheerleading costume, like the SNL Spartan cheerleaders costume made famous by Will Ferrell and company. If you have a favorite sports team, you can find a cheerleader costume that caters specifically to that team -- these are available online from various retailers.
Children's Halloween costumes are just as adaptable as adults. There are child's cheerleading Halloween costumes with different themes, like the Bratz cheerleader (a punk rock cheerleader), the Goth cheerleader, the Rydell High cheerleader (from the popular film and musical Grease), and any number of other cheerleader variations for children that are great for Halloween.
Cheerleader Costumes for Males
Remember in high school when boys from the football team would dress up as cheerleaders? Usually around Homecoming, certain players from the football team would be outfitted with a cheerleading costume, fake boobs, pigtails, makeup, and all sorts of other ridiculous cheerleading accessories. This was done all in good fun, and while the tradition may seem a bit weird, it is entrenched in schools across the country.
Instead of borrowing costumes from the cheerleading squad and stuffing socks into their tops, these boys could easily purchase a cheerleading costume aimed specifically at males. These costumes fit the male body better, include fairly sophisticated fake breasts, and come with makeup and all the other equipment you'll need to paint the town red . . . in cheerleader drag.
But these costumes aren't just for Homecoming. A male going out on Halloween or at any costume party as a female cheerleader is a hilarious and playful gag. Now that many costume retailers are selling female cheerleading costumes aimed at males, guys who want to be a girl cheerleader for a costume party don't have to wear their sister's bloomers or paint their face with clown makeup.
As long as there are cheerleaders on television or on the sidelines at high school football games, there will be little girls (and boys) who want to dress up as cheerleaders. With all the variety in children's and adult costumes these days, you can be any kind of cheerleader you want. Now get out there and tumble and cheer your favorite team to victory.