America's Girls

A podcast by Texas Monthly

Categories:

9 Episodes

  1. 8. Making the Dream

    Published: 1/18/2022
  2. 7. All-American Sexy Girls

    Published: 1/11/2022
  3. 6. The Perfect Look

    Published: 1/4/2022
  4. 5. The Rules

    Published: 12/28/2021
  5. 4. The Uniform

    Published: 12/21/2021
  6. 3. Naked Ambition

    Published: 12/14/2021
  7. 2. All That Glitters

    Published: 12/7/2021
  8. 1. The Rise to Fame

    Published: 12/7/2021
  9. Introducing America's Girls

    Published: 11/29/2021

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The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders squad burst onto the field back in 1972—the same year Title IX passed, the same year Deep Throat came out, and a year before Roe v. Wade. Sarah Hepola digs into the untold stories behind the global pop culture phenomenon, from the stripper who allegedly inspired the squad's creation, to a scandalous Playboy cover shoot that was actually a battle over fair wages, to the ongoing debate about sexuality and women’s bodies in a post-#MeToo world. The result is a vibrant mix of history, cultural criticism, and storytelling, featuring interviews with New Yorker writer Jia Tolentino, award-winning novelist Ben Fountain, Oscar-nominated director Dana Adam Shapiro, local television sports legend Dale Hansen, folk-writing hero Joe Nick Patoski, and a whole bunch of cheerleaders whose names you don’t know yet—but should.