The UGLY TRUTH about the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders (Diet Culture, Exploitation, Body Shaming, Ë-Ds)
Thanks to LMNT for sponsoring this video! Head to to get your free sample pack with any purchase.
Hey everyone, I’m Abbey Sharp! Welcome to Abbey’s Kitchen. In today's video, we will be talking about the seemingly perfect world of NFL cheerleading. From the shiny hair, rock hard abs and sky high kicks, coach Kelli Finglass made it clear during Netflix’s newest docuseries on the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders that there is no room for so much as a fleeting pout. But there’s a dark side to those forced smiles, and it goes even deeper than the iconic jump split. We’re talking financial exploitation, eating disorders, and problematic beauty standards that ripple across generations. There’s a lot to unpack, so let’s get started.
🥤 Check out my brand neue theory for your new favourite plant-based, 2-in-1 protein powder probiotic:
✉️ SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTERS ⤵️
Neue Theory newsletter:
Abbey's Kitchen newsletter:
🥞 FREE HUNGER CRUSHING COMBO™ E-BOOK! ⤵️
💪🏼 FREE PROTEIN 101 E-BOOK! ⤵️
A FEW DISCLAIMERS
1) The information in this video is for education and entertainment purposes only, so you should always speak to a health care provider about your unique health needs.
2) Please use this video (as with all of my review videos) as educational, not as unique recommendations.
3) Please be kind in the comments.
4) Trigger warning to those with disordered eating tendencies.
5) Don’t forget to subscribe to this channel and ring the little bell so you never miss out!
👩🏼💻 RESEARCH LINKS
📱 Follow me on Instagram and TikTok! @abbeyskitchen
Anorexia & Restrictive Dieting Freedom E-Course
(Use promo code Abbey20 for 20% off)
My book, The Mindful Glow Cookbook affiliate link:
Check out my blog for healthy recipes, parenting tips and tricks and busting nutrition myths and diets: www.abbeyskitchen.com
If you liked this video, please leave me a comment below with your thoughts and let me know who you want me to review next!
With Science & Sass,
Xoxo Abbey 🌸
I think there should be a class action lawsuit. This a true case of gender gap in pay. DCC Organization should be held accountable and responsible! As for their weight and figure. They all look amazing, there is nothing wrong with them! They are not getting enough nutrient therefore their body and bones are brittle and weak. This is dangerous!! I send my love to them all!
While I definitely agree that they should be paid a lot more, there’s no gender pay gap because it isn’t like there are men on the squad that get paid more. If we’re comparing cheerleaders to pro football players in terms of pay, there isn’t a comparison because they are not at all the same roles.
@@BlueBackflip they make millions of dollars from the cheerleaders from calendar sales and appearances and cheering at games and yet the girls see very little of it.
Thanks for talking about this. I decided to watch it but only got through a few episodes thinking “what am I watching? Am I the only one who thinks this is problematic?”
You definitely aren’t the only one. I used to always wonder how girls could be so thin without seemingly working for it, and after seeing these types of documentaries I now know how other women work just as hard as I do and are as stringent. It doesn’t make the ‘problem’ go away, but at least I don’t feel alone.
It’s crazy
I thought it was a great show about athletes who aren’t considered athletes .. men eat and cut and no one bats an eye .. Zac efron took roids for movies .. no one cried over it .. yes these women aren’t paid enough and yes they probably have body issues but the show itself showed that these women are human and work incredibly hard . I doubt all of them have eating disorders . Very few seemed under nourished to me .. I think society is use to obesity at this point .. most of them looked great and no sick runway great ..
Watching that show is like seeing a car accident-hard to watch, hard to look away. Yup, I got cult vibes, too. That split should be banned. The whole organization felt exploitative in numerous ways. I just kept wondering if the organization understood how negative they appeared on camera. Maybe the p/r was worth it? All that being said, it was an interesting documentary to watch.
Yep I’m curious too
For someone who lives in Dallas, I have toured the stadium many times. Your first stop is the cheerleaders locker room. Many of the uniforms are hanging up. Those things could barely fit a toddler. It’s scary to think how tiny these girls have to be.
Wow thanks for sharing
This is why I don’t glorify jobs like these no matter how “glamorized” it may seem
Yes we are in dangerous territory now with all the horrible diet culture trends of the 2000 coming back…. I fear for my 9 year old little girl… as a woman overcoming an ED myself I am finding it hard to navigate all of this for her…. Thanks Abbey!
It’s so hard especially thinking about your kids
I couldn’t even finish watching. Just the bit about paying them made me so angry I was shaking.
So glad you made a video about this ! This is 100% exploitation of women BY women. These 2 women coaches are the most mysogynistic individuals i have ever seen.
The worst part of it all is that the coaches are old, overweight, over the hill women who prey on these young girls. It’s madness! 🤪
It’s super disappointing
@@Leo-mr1qzdon’t think we need to criticise some women to lift others up. ‘Over the hill’ is such a sexist phrase – it tells women they’re only useful when they are young and reproductive.
I absolutely think they should be providing housing much like Disney program does, meal plans and pay for all other job related expenses such as dry cleaning, beauty treatments (that the coaches decide anyways) etc etc.
I watched part of the first episode and as soon as the financial exploitation became apparent I couldn’t keep watching. It’s absolutely horrific that these talented athletes are being treated like slaves.
It’s so hard to watch, especially since they’re so young
Oh I was hoping you would cover this. It’s a bit better than the making the team on CMT from back in the day but still so problematic. And I feel so bad for Victoria. It has obviously deeply affected her.
Making the team was crazy
Omg so glad you’re doing this. I literally cried watching this because these women have to have mental issues from participating in this program. I cried because it reminded me of the early 2000’s. I don’t want my daughter to grow up in that culture. 😢
Hoping the same for your daughter
They don’t even get paid that well! For the health detriment this is causing them, 150% not worth it
very true, at least models are compensated well, not that models starving themselves is okay, but at least they become rich. i wish most of these cheerleaders could try to venture into other sports instead of cheerleading. they are athletic and dedicated enough to have a chance in other better sports
I would do it if I made the team in a heartbeat a lot of college cheerleaders/ dancers dream of it
@@janejustin1788cheerleading is amazing .. why don’t we stop putting the sport down . Go look at college cheer national championships and then get back to me .. one would wager these women work harder then the football team
I used to binge watch making the team when i was in the darkest depths of my ed. It kept me going and helped the disorder thrive in my head. I think that says a lot about this “sisterhood”
THANK YOU for bringing this to light. I have always said they are so underpaid and exploit those girls for years ever since the cheerleaders got their show on CMT
It would be amazing if some of the Dallas Cowboys would rally behind these women who have been supporting their careers for decades. This show outraged me for all of the reasons you mentioned plus the fact that things could change if a football player or two would step in and help these women move towards equal rights, benefits and pay as the men.
Yes!
Thank you for covering this! I’m so glad the public is now aware of their inadequate income. How can you expect to be a DCC cheerleader without injuring yourself if you’re other working jobs and not properly fueling your body? The rate of injury is ridiculous.
I was shocked this show made a reprisal! Hasn’t this kind of behavior been canceled in 2024? Those coaches are abusive Aunt Lydias. I wouldn’t let them near a dog, let alone a vulnerable young woman.
Pausing at the very beginning to say: thank you for talking about this. When it first came on Netflix, I made the decision not to watch it because I know myself, I know that it had the potential to send me back to last year when I was obsessed with every single calorie that went in my mouth. Then I saw two people referencing it on tiktok, both making “jokes” about having to work out after watching it because it made them feel fat. One of those creators later admitted to having an eating disorder and that really hurt my heart for her.
With any of these documentaries, I always ask myself – if this is what they were comfortable showing on TV, what else is going on that we’re *not* seeing.