Subscribe to Mamamia Before the Netflix documentary America’s Sweethearts, a 7-part series that examines the wild world of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, author and journalist Sarah Hepola created and hosted the Texas Monthly podcast America’s Girls and she has stories that didn’t make it into the Netflix series. In this wide-ranging conversation with Mia Freedman, Sarah talks about the sexual exploitation, the injuries, the pay gap, the body image issues…and so much more. Are the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders a harmless piece of beloved American culture? Or are they emblematic of a system and ideal that is harmful for women and girls? Mia and Sarah discuss it all in this episode of No Filter. You can listen to Sarah’s DCC podcast here. Her Substack Podcast, Smoke Em if You Got Em, is here. And Sarah’s own podcast is here. THE END BITS: Listen to more No Filter interviews here and follow us on Instagram here.Discover more Mamamia podcasts here.Feedback: [email protected] your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message, and one of our Podcast Producers will come back to you ASAP.Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review.   CREDITS:Host: Mia FreedmanYou can find Mia on Instagram here and get her newsletter here. Executive Producer: Naima Brown Audio Producer: Leah PorgesMamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.