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Australian dancing girls told to cover up their midriffs

The dancing girls who usher in the teams at Australian sports events were yesterday told to cover up their taut midriffs for fear they are encouraging schoolgirl anorexia.

Gymnastics Australia, the body that governs the sport of cheerleading, has given teams until the end of the year to adopt the new dress code.

"We don't want girls to feel under pressure to lose weight because of the uniforms, and we also don't want girls who see cheerleaders developing self-esteem issues which can lead to anorexia," Gymnastics Australia's Nerine Cooper told the Sunday Telegraph. "We also want the cheerleaders to be seen as athletes, not bimbos in uniforms which are too brief."

The cover-up was roundly criticized in sporting circles, who see a future in which the toned and tanned flesh of male and female athletes will be hidden for fear of giving offense to the overweight.

"The midriff is not an area to be concerned about exposing," said Anthony Ikin, who manages the Brisbane Broncos rugby club cheerleading squad. "No one wants to go to a game and see people in tracksuits and baggy clothes -- it's not appealing."

But Alan Spencer, who runs an eating disorders program, welcomed the ban because cheerleaders were role models.

"Scantily dressed cheerleaders do contribute to some girls developing anorexia," Spencer said. "These cheerleaders are adored by the population and some teenagers see all the love and attention they get and they think they are not measuring up. They think if only they could just have their body then people would love them too."
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