The trends in cheerleading uniforms are constantly evolving. Fashion in cheer is a world of it’s own and a big business as well. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and see some of the cheer fashions thru the decades.

1950’s 

During this decade the skirts were longer, saddle shoes were all the rage and most of these cheerleaders wore heavy sweaters with a button down shirt under as part of their uniform! How did these cheerleaders not overheat? The megaphone and large tackle twill lettering was popular on the uniforms as well.

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1960’s

 As cheerleaders became more athletic shorter skirts became more acceptable. Uniforms started to become more comfortable and user friendly with fabrics a little less heavy. Button down shirts under sweaters were done away with and we saw skirts start to have pleats as well. Most teams had moved into wearing an all white Ked tennis shoe with their uniform.

1970’s

This era was drastic with fashion changes in all aspects of style. During the 70’s cheer skirts became quite short, uniform tops became much tighter and tennis shoes were the norm while cheering. NFL teams like the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders introduced their uniform which was very revealing with the midriff showing, tiny shorts and their white boots. This gave the rest of the cheer industry the “go ahead” to take things in a more progressive direction with less coverage.

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1980’s

During the 80’s we saw lots of fitted vest shells with buttons, uniform tops with puffy sleeves, skirts were short, had striping with lots of pleats. Very few schools had instilled dress codes on cheer uniforms so short skirts were not an issue at school. During this decade Cheerleaders wore high white socks and many squads were wearing a soft Nike tennishoe with a colored swoosh.

1990’s

This decade introduced more variety of emblem fonts and many competition teams added a fitted turtleneck under their uniform. Most cheerleaders wore the hightop reebok tennis shoes and usually socks were matching with a colorful megaphone. During this decade we saw the knife pleated skirt as well as tightly curled hair ringlets in the competition scene. Most teams wore a gross grain ribbon tied in a bow. 

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Early 2000’s

Uniforms started becoming more flashy. Many cheer uniform companies offered metallic fabrics as part of their fabric choices. Midriff showing uniforms for all star programs was very popular. Many teams designed their own custom emblems. Shoes were being designed to be lighter and lighter as the tumbling was getting increasingly more difficult. 

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After 2010

The motto for this time period was the more bling the better. Rhinestones were being used on uniforms. The fabrics used were easy to move in, stretchy and comfortable. Teams started using more intricate necklines and cut outs on the shoulders and on the back were the rage. Uniform tops were very fitted while skirts were extremely short, tight and most teams wore boy short bloomers. Bows were turned upside down with the tails facing the audience. The bows were becoming bigger and bigger.  

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2016

These days we are seeing most all star uniforms made out of motion flex with sublimated prints on the uniforms. Teams are able to basically print anything they want on uniforms, from animal print to words to decorative stars, etc. Rhinestones are everywhere and mesh is being used more and more in the midriff area. Many teams opt to compete in tiny fitted shorts with their uniform top instead of a skirt. We are even seeing teams wear leggings as a newer option. This is the age of complete creativity and every uniform looks different than the next. Bows are big and the hair is even bigger with the infamous poof!

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