Three former Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders who participated in a new documentary about the iconic spirit squad say they never felt exploited despite being sex symbols.
In Daughters of the Sexual Revolution: The Untold Story of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, Toni Washington, Shannon Baker Werthmann, and Dana Killmer shared what it was like being on the team in the late ’70s and early ’80s.
“You saw the uniform, you knew what was expected of you – you signed the contract,” Washington told Fox News. “We were out there doing what we wanted to do.”
In the film, the women explain how the team’s den mother Suzanne Mitchell helped steel them against controversy following the release of the porno film Debbie Does Dallas, which came out when there were two Debbies on the team.
“What I remember is Suzanne Mitchell came into the dressing room, explained to us the situation, and that we didn’t have to worry about it,” Werthmann recalled about the Debbie Does Dallas scandal. “She was our protector-in-chief, she was going to take care of it. So, we could go on, and be the cheerleaders that we were hired to be, and do the things that were expected of us.”
The women said they never dated any players or even had a fling.
“The first time I put the uniform on was for a fitting, and you can’t describe that moment,” Killmer said. “You feel like you have superpowers when you put that uniform on… It’s a lot like Clark Kent and Superman. Because you’re just a normal person, and then you put the uniform on… Everyone wants to talk to you and shake your hand, and you take the uniform off, you hang it on a hanger, and you’re just a normal person again.”
The film is playing in theaters now.
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