History Main / CruelCheerleader

This trope has noticeably weakened in recent years (if only slightly), perhaps due to the popularity of things like the ''Film/BringItOn''-series. A sympathetic depiction is still more the exception rather than the rule, however. In fact, media with positive depictions of cheerleaders will often feel the need to go out of their way to explain to the audience (often [[MrExposition via an outsider POV character]]) that cheerleaders can be good people too, as well as show that cheerleading in real life isn't even close to being how it's portrayed in pop culture. See the analysis page for more on that.

In any HighSchool setting, no StockCharacter is portrayed as harshly as the cheerleader. [[BeautyIsBad Cheerleaders are often depicted as outright evil or mean]], with the AlphaBitch as their leader. If the girls aren't evil they might just be {{Brainless Beaut|y}}ies, following their AlphaBitch leader out of ignorance or a desire for [[PopularIsDumb her approval]]. The Captain, if not the whole squad, will usually be portrayed as ReallyGetsAround and/or a HormoneAddledTeenager. From evil to slutty to dumb, any cheerleader in North American media can be expected to be portrayed as [[PopularIsEvil shallow and superficial, because popularity is her first and only concern]].

This trope is a combination of VanityIsFeminine, BeautyIsBad, and PopularIsEvil given that cheerleaders are typically at the top of the PopularityFoodChain. Cheerleaders, who are traditionally predominantly women, are almost required to adhere to the highest of beauty standards since part of their job is to act as [[MsFanservice eye candy]] for the predominantly male audience of the games they cheer at. Male cheerleaders are the minority in real life and sufficiently rare in fiction outside of works that are specifically about cheerleading. That said, even they may not escape the negative portrayal, and in fact may prove to be even meaner than the rest if they are coded as or explicitly are gay in-universe, since [[CampGay gay is often equated with femininity]] and thus gets all of the negative associations to femininity and ''then some''.

If a sympathetic, smart character is a cheerleader, she will probably end up quitting the squad as part of her "growth" or do a HeelFaceTurn and try to reform her mean past. A good girl might want to join the squad, but her friend will think that cheerleading is inherently bad and try to stop her, leading to a lesson on how a person should get to do what makes her happy.

This trope has noticeably weakened in recent years (if only slightly), perhaps due to the popularity of things like the ''Film/BringItOn''-series. A sympathetic depiction is still more the exception rather than the rule, however. In fact, media with positive depictions of cheerleaders will often feel the need to go out of their way to explain to the audience (often [[MrExposition via an outsider POV character]]) that cheerleaders can be good people too, as well as show that cheerleading in real life isn't even close to being how it's portrayed in pop culture. See the analysis page for more on that.

If a sympathetic, smart character is a cheerleader, she will probably end up quitting the squad as part of her 'growth' (apparently in Hollywood, one can't be a rounded person and remain a cheerleader). A good girl might want to join the squad, but her friend will think that cheerleading is inherently bad and try to stop her, leading to a lesson on how a person should get to do what makes her happy.

This trope has noticeably weakened in recent years (if only slightly), perhaps due to the popularity of things like the ''Film/BringItOn''-series. A sympathetic depiction is still more the exception rather than the rule, however. In fact, media with positive depictions of cheerleaders will often feel the need to go out of their way to explain to the audience ( often [[MrExposition via an outsider POV character]]) that cheerleaders can be good people too, as well as show that cheerleading in real life isn't even close to being how it's portrayed in pop culture. See the analysis page for more on that.

See also JerkJock, AlphaBitch, and PopularIsDumb. Contrast with the positive CuteSportsClubManager, the cheerful PomPomGirl, and the LovableJock. A cheerleader also has a better-than-average chance of being a DumbBlonde, but this isn't required. They can be TheFashionista, but often suffer from a LimitedWardrobe: at least during school hours many cheerleaders never wear an outfit ''other'' than their uniforms.

Male cheerleaders are sufficiently rare in fiction that they are usually developed as characters themselves rather than falling under The Cheerleader trope. A good rule of thumb is that if you see a male cheerleader, then cheerleading will be depicted positively, or at least less negatively. Male cheerleaders are often stereotyped as being gay.

This trope has noticeably weakened in recent years (if only slightly), perhaps due to the popularity of things like the ''Film/BringItOn''-series. A sympathetic depiction is still more the exception rather than the rule, however. In fact, media with positive depictions of cheerleaders will often feel the need to go out of their way to explain to the audience ( often [[MrExposition via an outsider POV character]]) that cheerleaders can be good people too, as well as show that cheerleading in real life isn't even close to being how it's portrayed in pop culture. For starters:
# Despite what a lot of people think, cheerleading's a highly competitive, very physically demanding, very high-paced and very ''technical'' sport (which can affect this character's personality).
# Contrary to the stereotype of cheerleaders being unintelligent (which was basically created by Hollywood), roughly 80% of all cheerleaders who're still in school have a 3.0 GPA or higher -- plus, as previously mentioned, cheerleading itself is a very technical sport, so it requires its participants to be fast thinkers and being able to work out the routines that they perform.
# Also as previously mentioned, cheerleading's a very physically demanding sport, and besides practicing routines and cheers/chants, people who do cheerleading exercise and workout a lot, and typically have to be very physically strong, especially if they're bases and/or spotters, who're the ones that lift flyers in stunts[[note]]While it doesn't always happen, a person's height does typically affect their position in a cheerleading routine, as flyers are typically the smallest/shortest members of a squad (which makes it easier for them to be lifted in stunts) while bases/spotters are typically the tallest/strongest members of a squad (which makes it easier for them to lift/catch the flyers in stunts)[[/note]].
# Compared to a lot of other sports, being part of a cheerleading squad is also a really big time commitment since aside from practicing (obviously), cheerleaders also typically perform at sports games (especially football, basketball, and sometimes baseball) and compete at various cheerleading competitions.

On another note, this trope isn't TruthInTelevision (unless [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffusion_of_responsibility diffusion of responsibility]] is a factor) and many of the stereotypes people think of when it comes to cheerleading were basically created by Hollywood -- most people who do cheerleading do it because they like it and are generally very extroverted. While some cheerleaders in real life can be mean, most are typically genuinely nice people, as bitchiness doesn't exactly mesh well with winning the crowd and teamwork is very important (though you should ''still'' BewareTheNiceOnes). Competition-level cheerleading also requires fitness levels around the same as any other professional athlete and cheerleading is one of the most likely causes of female sports injuries due to the gymnastic stunts performed and lack of protective gear. Anyone performing at that level has the same drive and dedication as any other athlete.

The birth of the Cruel Cheerleader stereotype most likely came from WriteWhatYouKnow. Many people in creative roles spent their high school years being bullied and humiliated by the few mean cheerleaders they went to class with. While there were nicer ones who probably just minded their own business, those nice cheerleaders must have not made as much of an impact as the mean ones. When those bullied teens grew up and started working in Hollywood, they probably [[TakeThat vented their resentment towards the mean cheerleaders by putting cheerleaders in the villain roles of their works]]. And because many high school outcasts—the very audience these works were directed towards—could relate to this, the trope stuck.

See also JerkJock, AlphaBitch, and PopularIsDumb. Contrast with the positive CuteSportsClubManager. A cheerleader also has a better-than-average chance of being a DumbBlonde, but this isn't required. They can be TheFashionista, but often suffer from a LimitedWardrobe: at least during school hours many cheerleaders never wear an outfit ''other'' than their uniforms.

If you're looking for the cheerleading performance itself, her potential {{foil}}, or maybe just the dress worn while doing it, you want the PomPomGirl. A cheerleader who is not an AlphaBitch can sometimes be portrayed as a LovableJock.

This trope has noticeably weakened in recent years (if only slightly), perhaps due to the popularity of things like the ''Film/BringItOn''-series. A sympathetic depiction is still more the exception rather than the rule, however. In fact, media with positive depictions of cheerleaders will often feel the need to go out of their way to explain to the audience ([[{{Exposition}} via an outsider POV character]] like in ''Series/{{Hellcats}}'') that cheerleaders can be good people too, as well as show that cheerleading in real life isn't even close to being how it's portrayed in pop culture. For starters:

[[folder:Film]]

# Compared to a lot of other sports, being part of a cheerleading squad is also a really big time commitment, since aside from practicing (obviously), cheerleaders also typically perform at sports games (especially for football, basketball and sometimes baseball) and compete at various cheerleading competitions.

On another note, this trope isn't TruthInTelevision (unless [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffusion_of_responsibility diffusion of responsibility]] is a factor) and many of the stereotypes people think of when it comes to cheerleading were basically created by Hollywood -- most people who do cheerleading do it because they like it and are generally very extroverted. While some cheerleaders in real life can be mean, most are typically genuinely nice people, as bitchiness doesn't exactly mesh well with winning the crowd and teamwork is very important (though you should ''still'' BewareTheNiceOnes). Competition level cheerleading also requires fitness levels around the same as any other professional athlete and cheerleading is one of the most likely causes of female sports injuries due to the gymnastic stunts performed and lack of protective gear. Anyone performing at that level has the same drive and dedication as any other athlete.

See also JerkJock, AlphaBitch and PopularIsDumb. Contrast with the positive CuteSportsClubManager. A cheerleader also has a better than average chance of being a DumbBlonde, but this isn't required. They can be TheFashionista, but often suffer from a LimitedWardrobe: at least during school hours many cheerleaders never wear an outfit ''other'' than their uniforms.

** She certainly looks the part, pretty, blonde, flirty (despite being a nun!) and easily distracted by a bag full of cash. [[spoiler:In a subversion, this persona is all but definitely a front, Eda is pretty much a {{Guile Hero}}ine and an active CIA ActionGirl]].

** Many of of the American football teams have cheer-leading squads to serve as {{Fanservice Extra}}s. They tend to be [[GangOfHats themed much like their teams]], like the Seibu Wild Gunmen's cheerleaders dressed like cowgirls or the Amino Cyborgs' cheerleaders dressed like nurses. Parodied with the Jodonandai Giants, whose cheerleaders are all {{Huge Schoolgirl}}s who are even bigger than the actual players.

* In ''Film/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', all the cheerleaders (including Buffy herself at the start of the movie) are shallow, nasty and stupid. When Buffy becomes the Slayer and gets CharacterDevelopment, she stops being a cheerleader. The episode of the show was sort of a ContinuityNod.
* In ''Film/ACinderellaStory'', Shelby likes ruining the life of Sam, the nerd. She's portrayed as self-absorbed, bitchy, and spiteful, but its unclear how stupid she may be.

* Weirdly enough, this one was skewered in ''Film/HighSchoolMusical3SeniorYear''. The AlphaBitch, Sharpay, is not on the squad... and the only cheerleader we actually ''meet'' is Martha, the hip-hop loving nerd. Presumably, her AscendedExtra status from the second movie helped. In fact, the characters who would most fit the status are Sharpay (literal drama queen), Chad (basketballer) and Taylor (brainiac).
* Breanna in ''Film/ItsABoyGirlThing'' is a trifecta of dim, evil and slutty.
* The eponymous cheerleader in ''Film/JennifersBody'' is vapid, rude and skanky... and that's even before she gets possessed by a demon.
* Heather in ''Film/JohnTuckerMustDie'' isn't ''totally'' evil, but she's still bitchy, shallow and vain. Then again, so are most of the girls.

* Mercedes in ''Film/TeenageSorcery'' is not only a mean cheer-leading captain, but also a powerful evil [[VainSorceress witch]]. Her pranks in the movie include making food disappear for a bunch of boys one of whom accidentally drops some water on her skirt, hazing a freshman by making him vanish into nothing, and other similar magical shenanigans.
* Tina and Diane, the co-captains of the cheer squad in ''Film/VarsityBlood'', best fit the stereotype of the cheerleader, being a pair of promiscuous {{Alpha Bitch}}es who are obsessed with status, constantly demean the other girls on the squad, and expect their slightest whim to be obeyed. Hannah, Heather and Linda come across as more reasonable human beings, albeit with quirks of their own.

* ''Literature/{{Spinetinglers}}'': Book #25 (''The Curse of the Cheerleaders'') is about a group of elementary school cheerleaders with the power to make anything they cheer come true. [[spoiler:It's actually their uniforms that gives them this power]]. Naturally, the leader of the group wants to use this power to get whatever she wants while the protagonist and newest recruit is horrified and tries to stop her before someone dies. Interestingly, the book avoids going for the expected popularity-based drama with Diane, the main character, expressing her belief cheerleaders should only worry about having fun instead of arbitrary things like popularity and social status.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* One of these, Pamela, is the both the AlphaBitch and the AssholeVictim in ''Series/OneThousandWaysToDie'''s episode "Pam-Caked!". She's so jealous of her LovableJock rival Amber that she drops her in the middle of a presentation and makes her fall to the ground hard AND head-first... only to be [[TrampledUnderfoot accidentally trampled to death]] by the whole football squad [[TooDumbToLive because she stood up to brag about what she had done -- in front of the school banner, where the dudes couldn't see her.]]

** "Witch" was the same episode which had an ex-cheerleader turned witch as the ''villain''. Notably her daughter (who she is possessing) didn't want to be a cheerleader and doesn't join the squad once she's freed.

* ''Series/{{Degrassi}}'' provides several teenagers on the Spirit Squad or Power Squad. Not all of them are evil, but a few do reach for this trope on occasion. Paige, Hazel, Holly J, and Chantay most often. Like in Sabrina, there's an entire episode based around Emma freaking out over her best friend looking to join the squad (she too gets over it but from her reaction you'd think Manny had joined a cult).
* Played with in ''Series/DesperateHousewives''; Susan was a popular cheerleader in high school and though she claims she was perfectly nice she did 'accidentally' steal another girl's boyfriend and lumber her with an unfortunate nickname (Mike calls her on her seemingly selective memory). Also many fans consider to Susan to be TheDitz anyway. A later episode also retroactively makes Bree's bitchy, slutty, dim daughter Danielle a cheerleader.
* While ''Series/FridayNightLights'' depiction of cheerleaders tended to fairly sympathetic and nuanced (notably Lyla Garrity), the trope applies in full force with the Rally Girls. Rally Girls are basically groupies for the football team members, who bake goods, do homework and run errands for them, and often a whole lot more. The members are depicted as girls who constantly throw themselves at players, openly trying to break them up with their girlfriends.
* Rachel in ''Series/{{Friends}}'' was a cheerleader in high school. Sure she's fairly likable as an adult but by all accounts she was an AlphaBitch during her teen years.
* The Cheerios in ''Series/{{Glee}}'' manage to hit nearly every stereotype on the list. However none of them hit the trifecta of mean, ReallyGetsAround, and dumb. Quinn is originally an AlphaBitch but also smart and though she gets pregnant it's from having sex once (whilst cheating on her boyfriend, but she still doesn't [[ReallyGetsAround Really Get Around]]). She eventually turns into a FallenPrincess and [[spoiler: after gaining sympathy, rejects cheerleading]]. Santana is bitchy and ReallyGetsAround, but doesn't seem to be dumb. [[spoiler: As of ''Sexy'', it also appears that this is just part of her [[ArmouredClosetGay armoured closet]]]]. Brittany is the traditional DumbBlonde (to extreme levels), but she isn't mean-spirited at all. Terri is an adult former cheerleader and while dumb and bitchy, also was not a slut (marrying her HighSchoolSweethearts). Sue Sylvester, the coach, is an UNBELIEVABLE Bitch but is far from dumb. It's also implied that all the other Cheerios aren't too bright. In an interesting subversion, though, one of the Cheerios is consistently shown to be very bright (and also very bitchy, and very sneaky) - Becky Jackson, the forever-underestimated girl with Down Syndrome.

*** It's more like no one could enjoy Sue's harsh and insane style of coaching then anything. Quinn tells Lauren in "Born This Way" that she first got involved in cheerleading exactly because she started dancing to lose weight and found she loved it and was great at it.
* Zigzagged in ''Series/{{Hellcats}}''. Marti gets around quite a bit but is smart and heroic, Alice and Cathy, especially Cathy are bad but not dumb and, by college standards not particularly slutty, although as a supposed conservative Christian Cathy is a hypocrite in that regard. Savannah on the other hand hits none of the buttons being nice, chaste and smart.
* ''{{Series/Heroes}}'': The head cheerleaders from season 1 and 2. Claire's fellow cheerleaders in season 1 are only background characters and the ones in season 2 are more afraid of the AlphaBitch who's the head cheerleader rather than being cruel or bitchy themselves.

* Miu of ''Series/KamenRiderFourze'' was the leader of the cheerleader squad, the AlphaBitch ''and'' girlfriend to JerkJock Shun. She was pretty much the queen of the school. However, after she's nearly killed before the prom and having to be saved by Gentarou, Miu ends up having a HeelRealization, quits the cheerleader squad, breaks up with Shun and joins the Kamen Rider Club. As president, of course. Old habits die hard.

* [[AlphaBitch Libby]] and her minions in ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'', a series in which cheerleaders are treated as AlwaysChaoticEvil until proven otherwise. An entire episode was based around Sabrina freaking out over her best friend looking to join the squad (she gets over it but from her reaction you'd think Valerie had joined a cult).
* In an episode of ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' when Elliott is being ostracised by the nursing staff, JD has an ImagineSpot of her as a band member, Carla as the AlphaBitch head cheerleader and the nurses as her GirlPosse.

* Lana Lang was a cheerleader in ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' but quit to 'find her own identity'. Although the cheerleaders were not depicted as malicious or dangerous until much later, and then only in the single episode "Devoted." Lana's desire to leave the cheerleading squad had nothing to do with the squad's malevolence, and was instead related to her stopping in her attempt to follow her mother's footsteps (which was the reason she joined the squad). Though of course this ''itself'' is an example of the trope in that apparently no protagonist should ''want'' to be a cheerleader.

* Played in ''Series/TheVampireDiaries'' as Elena, Bonnie and Caroline all start the show as cheerleaders and all quit for various reasons.
* Subverted in ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'' by Harper, who is nice, fairly smart and not a slut. Alex who joins the squad ''can'' be a bitch and is BookDumb but doesn't get around. [[AntiHero Alex]] also [[CoolLoser never wanted to be a cheerleader]].

* Tiffany from ''ComicStrip/{{Luann}}'' played the trope completely straight during the high school years. Bitchy, stupid, shallow, and slutty (as much as permitted in a G-rated comic.) Also the most popular girl in school ([[InformedAttribute supposedly]].) She was the strip's resident HateSink until after she was kicked off the squad, and only then did she start receiving some CharacterDevelopment.

* Wrestling/{{GLOW}} girls Debbie Debutante, Susie Spirit and Vickie Vivacious. In a bit of a subversion their main concern was firing up the fans and promoting good sportswomenship. The main reason they had antagonistic relationships with anyone was because [[BigBad Aunt Kitty]] was manipulating things.

* Miss December, cheer leading pig tail enthusiast and temper tantrum thrower, when she does not get her way at least. She's perhaps best known for antagonizing [[Wrestling/IvelisseVelez Juliette The Huntress]], who changed her opinion on cheer leading after trying it herself but remained at odds with December otherwise.
* Wrestling/{{WWE}} had a lovely example in the 2006 Spirit Squad, ''five'' cheerleaders invoking the Free Bird Rule (and not even having the grace to acknowledge it). {{The gimmick}} seems to have stunted the careers of all involved not named Dykstra or Wrestling/DolphZiggler. However, Kenny, Mikey and Johnny decided to embrace their association with the gimmick in 2014 and even managed to defeat representatives from ''[[LegionOfDoom The Flood]]'' at Wrestling/{{Chikara}}'s ''King Of Trios''.

* ''Theatre/LegallyBlonde'' (TheMusical) ''loves'' this trope and plays with it in a really confusing way: Serena is a cheerleader and a sorority member, but sorority girls are supposed to be the good ones here. Yet she's slutty, but not the sluttiest Delta-Nu. And she knows how to use her sex-appeal, but is also willing to teach other non-cheerleader women to gain confidence by doing the same.

* ''VideoGame/{{Bully}}'' plays this straight. Not only is Mandy Wiles, the team captain and AlphaBitch, a jerk, but the other three girls (Pinky, Christy and Angie) on the squad are much nastier while in uniform than when they're not.

* ''VideoGame/OsuTatakaeOuendan'' It is a inversion, as both Yuhi and Asahi cheerleaders are good girls who help people in trouble by giving them cheers.

** ''VideoGame/Psychonauts2'': Enablers are an enemy type which cheers on other mental enemies, giving them perfect damage resistance and a power boost [[ShootTheMedicFirst while the enabler is still breathing]]. They also look like gremlin marching band drummers and have peppy, upbeat voices.
* The BigGood of ''VideoGame/ProjectXZone'', Mii Koryuji, is one. She's [[FieryRedhead quite feisty]] though unlike many examples, she's actually TheHeroine of the story.

* Stacey, Tracey and Lacey in the second season of ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDragonJakeLong''.

* Brittany in ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}'', who is blonde, busty and totally dense. But not nasty. Thoughtless and over-candid, especially to Daria, but not nasty.

* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': The TitleCharacter is a cheerleader, and while she does have her faults, Kim ultimately averts pretty much every stereotype you can think of--in fact, Kim's rival, Bonnie Rockwaller, appears to be the only true mean-spirited cheerleader on the squad, as the rest of the cheerleaders are typically portrayed as being fairly nice (though Kim and Bonnie's mutual friend, Tara, is implied to be a BrainlessBeauty).

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' 'Spin-Off Showcase' episode Lisa refused to participate in a cheesey family variety show so was recast by a pretty blonde cheerleader who, while nice enough, is decidedly less intelligent.
-->'''Fake Lisa:''' "I'm Lisa, peppy, blonde and stunning. Sophomore prom queen five years running. Go Lisa!"
* In ''WesternAnimation/SymBionicTitan'', the HighSchool that the heroes attend includes a troupe of mean cheerleaders. The "dumb" variant is actually deconstructed in one episode as Kimmy is faced with being kicked off the squad due to failing a math test, given the chance to retake the test and recruiting Octus to help her. She spends the whole tutoring session trying to get Octus to take the test for her, only to break and admit she's afraid to try because she doesn't know how to be anything other than the stereotypes everyone expects her to live up to. She ends up getting over this with encouragement from Octus.

** Amy of ''Pahkitew Island'' is a cheerleader, and a nasty piece of work who bullies her twin sister for minor reasons.

* On ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', Lois was a cheerleader in her high school days and was every bit as bitchy, mean and cruel as this trope often is. In the present day, she's often a BitchInSheepsClothing. The present day also has [[AlphaBitch Connie D'Amico]], who constantly bullies [[ButtMonkey Meg]] and serves as a HateSink, though she's also suffered LaserGuidedKarma from not only Meg but almost all of the Griffins.

* Done straight in the ''Series/ColdCase'' episode "Stand Up and Holler": the victim was a pretty intelligent girl who joins her school's cheerleading squad. On the advice of the AlphaBitch -- who is the captain of the cheerleaders -- she starts to hide her intelligence and focuses more on being cool. Before she is accidentally killed [[spoiler: by the AlphaBitch and the murder is covered up by the victim's best friend]], she starts hanging out with the CoolLoser and decides to quit the squad.

** According to her bio, Heather's a cheerleader back home (specifically the ''head'' cheerleader).
** Amy of ''Pahkitew Island'' is a cheerleader as is her good twin sister.
** Lindsay mentions that she's a cheerleader in ''Total Drama Action''.

* In ''Sweet Valley Twins'' (a prequel to ''Literature/SweetValleyHigh'') #4 ''Choosing Sides'' Elizabeth doesn't like learning that her best friend Amy wants to be on the cheerleading squad.

* Done straight in the ''Series/ColdCase'' episode "Stand Up and Holler": the victim was a pretty intelligent girl who joins her school's cheerleading squad. On the advice of the AlphaBitch -- who is the captain of the cheerleaders -- she starts to hide her intelligence and focuses more on being cool. Before she is killed [[spoiler: by the AlphaBitch and the victim's best friend]] she starts hanging out with the CoolLoser and decides to quit the squad.

* Jackie from ''Series/{{That 70s Show}}'' is a cheerleader. While she is selfish and dumb, she's not evil or slutty (in fact, she ''does'' have two stable boyfriends, and the conflict between [[spoiler: Hyde and Kelso]] happens when she can't really decide between them). She's eventually kicked off the squad in season 6; when she realizes that she doesn't want to be taken back, it's shown as a part of her personal growth.

In any HighSchool setting, no StockCharacter is portrayed as harshly as the cheerleader. [[BeautyIsBad Cheerleaders are often depicted as outright evil]], with the AlphaBitch as their leader. If the girls aren't evil they might just be {{Brainless Beaut|y}}ies, following their AlphaBitch leader out of ignorance or a desire for [[PopularIsDumb her approval]]. The Captain, if not the whole squad, will usually be portrayed as ReallyGetsAround and/or a HormoneAddledTeenager. From evil to slutty to dumb, any cheerleader in North American media can be expected to be portrayed as [[PopularIsEvil shallow and superficial, because popularity is her first and only concern]].

[[WMG:[[center:[[AC:This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1655399045034647500 under discussion]] in the Administrivia/TropeRepairShop.]]]]]]

* In ''Sweet Valley Twins'' (a prequel to Literature/SweetValleyHigh) #4 ''Choosing Sides'' Elizabeth doesn't like learning that her best friend Amy wants to be on the cheerleading squad.

* ''Literature/SecretSanta2007:'' It's briefly mentioned that insufferable AlphaBitch Amber and her reluctant sidekick friend Shawna are on the cheerleading squad.

* Felicity "Flick" Browers in ''VideoGame/GrowingUp'' is the preppy cheerleader of the high school the PlayerCharacter goes to. She puts a smile on her face and maintains a slim body so she can perform at her best, [[spoiler:but she's actually [[StepfordSmiler forcing her smile]] and skipping meals to keep up with the pressure]].

The birth of the Cheerleader stereotype most likely came from WriteWhatYouKnow. Many people in creative roles spent their high school years being bullied and humiliated by the few mean cheerleaders they went to class with. While there were nicer ones who probably just minded their own business, those nice cheerleaders must have not made as much of an impact as the mean ones. When those bullied teens grew up and started working in Hollywood, they probably [[TakeThat vented their resentment towards the mean cheerleaders by putting cheerleaders in the villain roles of their works]]. And because many high school outcasts—the very audience these works were directed towards—could relate to this, the trope stuck.

* ''VideoGame/OsuTatakaeOuendan'' It is a subversion, as both Yuhi and Asahi cheerleaders are good girls who help people in trouble by giving them cheers.

* ''VideoGame/Osu!Tatakae!Ouendan!'' It is a subversion, as both Yuhi and Asahi cheerleaders are good girls who help people in trouble by giving them cheers.

* Cheerleader in ''WebAnimation/TeenGirlSquad''. Though, she's not always an actual cheerleader -- when questioned about why she's not leading cheers during a football game, she claims that "I'm only a cheerleader [[PomPomGirl in the way I dress]], [[AlphaBitch and the way I treat other girls]]".
** [[{{Retcon}} Although another episode has her claim "I'm off duty!" after being lifted by Cheerleader Brian at the prom]].

The birth of the Cheerleader stereotype most likely came from WriteWhatYouKnow. Many people in creative roles spent their high school years being bullied and humiliated by the few mean cheerleaders they went to class with. While there were nicer ones probably just minded their own business, those nice cheerleaders must have not made as much of an impact as the mean ones. When those bullied teens grew up and started working in Hollywood, they probably [[TakeThat vented their resentment towards the mean cheerleaders by putting cheerleaders in the villain roles of their works]]. And because many high school outcasts—the very audience these works were directed towards—could relate to this, the trope stuck.

* Sarah Cushing of ''Series/SupermanAndLois'' starts out as a subversion, to the point where it's surprising to learn that she's even a cheerleader to begin with -- while she's attractive, she's certainly ''not'' a bubbly extrovert. Becomes a full aversion when she quits the squad to the shock of her coach... who is also her mother, Lana Lang. It's heavily implied that Lana put Sarah on the squad as a way to help Sarah reintegrate into Smallville [[spoiler: after her suicide attempt.]]

On another note, this trope isn't TruthInTelevision (unless [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diffusion_of_responsibility diffusion of responsibility]] is a factor) and many of the stereotypes people think of when it comes to cheerleading were basically created by Hollywood--most people who do cheerleading do it because they like it and are generally very extroverted. While some cheerleaders in real life can be mean, most are typically genuinely nice people, as bitchiness doesn't exactly mesh well with winning the crowd and teamwork is very important (though you should ''still'' BewareTheNiceOnes). Competition level cheerleading also requires fitness levels around the same as any other professional athlete and cheerleading is one of the most likely causes of female sports injuries due to the gymnastic stunts performed and lack of protective gear. Anyone performing at that level has the same drive and dedication as any other athlete.

* On ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', Lois was a cheerleader in her high school days and was every bit as bitchy, mean and cruel as this trope often is. In the present day, she's often a BitchInSheepsClothing. The present day also has [[BlondesAreEvil Connie D'Amico]], who constantly bullies [[ButtMonkey Meg]] and serves as a HateSink, though she's also suffered LaserGuidedKarma from not only Meg but almost all of the Griffins.