A Woman’s Work: The NFL’s Cheerleader Problem

SAT OCT 19 | 6PM | BLUE ORLEANS THEATER (THE ADVOCATE) – filmmaker in attendance. 
WED OCT 23 | 1:30PM | BLUE ORLEANS THEATER (THE ADVOCATE)

The thesis of A Woman’s Work is implicit in its title: there is a huge blindspot around what constitutes work worthy of payment. Spoiler alert: homemaking, caretaking, and cheerleading don’t qualify, and it’s no stunt heel stretch to decipher what these have in common. The film follows the legal cases brought by two former NFL cheerleaders against their clubs for lack of fair pay, while the men around them—players, owners, and even mascots—make bank. The women and their team face myriad hurdles, many anchored by sexist myths around beauty and sexuality. Yet by documenting the time, money, and energy put into perfecting their craft, the film debunks the idea that respect for those who entertain us is only merited when that entertainer is a man.  -ST

Preceded by Knocking Down the Fences
USA | 2019 | 12 MIN
DIR: Meg Shutzer

Follows AJ Andrews, the first woman to win a Rawlings Gold Glove, and her struggle to make it as one of the best professional softball players in the world.