Daytona!!

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The week before easter break, i went to daytona beach with the cheerleading team and we competed in the NCA college national cheerleading competition. this was our first year going to nationals and we did so well. We made it to the finals and we placed 12th out of 26 times from all over the country. Even though 12th seems not great, we were up against some cheerleading teams whose cheerleaders get full scholarships and compete all year long without cheering at games. We do not get any money to cheer here and we cheer for football and basketball as well. We were really proud of ourselves. We were also able to spend a whole day on the beach when we were done competing. It was 90 degrees and absolutly beautiful. During the competition, there were many vendors giving out free samples of products such as redken, crest, dr. pepper, and hawaiin tropics. Elle girl was also there with a bathing suit company. they were giving free bathing suits away if you posed in your own suit (before) and then another one you chose (after) and if it was voted best bathing suit makeover, you would be in elle girl. personally, i think it would be so embarassing if i were in elle girl for best bathing suit makeover, but me and my friends really wanted the free bathing suit so we did it! and over easter break, the bathing suit i tried on came in the mail. i can only imagine what the writers of elle girl will write about the girls who are chosen to appear in the magazine. they will probably criticize the before picture so much and praise the after picture. this reminds me of the chapter in our text book. the bathing suit company is going to make money by showing how bad girls look in their own bathing suit and how much better they look in the company's bathing suit. even if the girl doesnt actually look better in the "after" suit, they will make the picture look better. our "before" pictures were taken by a girl who sells the suits with an inexpensive camera and the "after" pictures were taken by a professional photographer with an expensive camera. girls will read the magazine and be forced to judge how others look in the bathing suit. i just thought this was so appropriate for what we are learning about girls and body image.

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