The Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal

[HAnnA MArin County]

So I watched this movie a while back on Lifetime and did some research into the true story. Do any of you remember hearing about it? The story broke in January 2007. Basically, a group of five popular cheerleaders who dubbed themselves "The Fab Five" were thrust into the national spotlight when they posted a picture of themselves in a sex shop holding penis-shaped candles (one girl actually held the candle near her mouth) while in their uniforms. Apparently, little was done to punish them because the principal at this high school was the mother of one of the Fab Five cheerleaders.

The situation took place at McKinney North High School in McKinney, Texas, a suburb of Dallas. Depending upon whose story you believe, the controversy boils down to the alleged misbehaviors of the Fab Five and the administration doing nothing to discipline them. The most recent cheerleading coach, Michaela Ward, went to the media and basically espoused that the girls were out of control, claiming that the girls often skipped school, talked back to teachers, bullied other students, wore explicitly suggestive clothing that violated the school's dress code, drank and got away with everything because the principal, Linda Theret, did not want to have anything to do with disciplining her daughter and her friends. In addition to the picture on the Internet, Ward claims that her cell phone was stolen by the girls while at cheer camp and that the girls "sexted" Ward's husband and another coach about trying new sexual activities. Ward took her story to the national media and was interviewed on Fox News about the scandal.

The girls and their parents' side of the story differs. They admit that the photo was a mistake but claim they are not the drunken, mean, out of control monsters that the national media has made them out to be.

When the story broke after the photo became public, the school district hired an independent investigator who interviewed students, teachers, parents and everyone involved about the Fab Five allegations. His report placed most of the blame on the reticence of the parents and found that Linda Therety failed to juggle two of the most important responsibilities of her life: principal and mother, and that she was accountable for the situation. Upon his findings, Theret reached an agreement with the board and resigned in exchange for $75,000 paid leave and a letter of recommendation.

Theret is now employed by the Laredo School District. Her daughter attends college at Stephen F. Austin State University.

This situation raises several questions pertaining to the behaviors of teenagers today. What are your thoughts?

[Хahar 🤔]

My thoughts are that this is the sort of overblown sensation that's right up the Lifetime channel's alley.

[Simfan34]

What more is to be expected of the children of our depraved society? Blame the parents. Blame Hollywood. Above all, blame the kids.

[Хahar 🤔]

What more is to be expected of the children of our depraved society? Blame the parents. Blame Hollywood. Above all, blame the kids.

I genuinely can't tell if this is serious.

[Simfan34]

What more is to be expected of the children of our depraved society? Blame the parents. Blame Hollywood. Above all, blame the kids.

I genuinely can't tell if this is serious.

Seriously, is this behavior to be encouraged? And is behavior like this not common? I think depraved is a good word to put it. Their "role models" encourage or turn a blind eye to it, and the children show poor judgement. How is this not to be taken seriously?

The sad thing is that in our society, they'll still be doing this at 35, if not for longer. Perpetual adolescence is the norm.

And you claim to have a positive social score.

[Хahar 🤔]

Hmm, yeah, my social score varies sometimes. I haven't taken it in a while, but 0.26 doesn't sound too far off. At any rate, I certainly don't identify myself with my social score. What I feel makes that number, not the other way around. Certainly my views on sexuality and morality are rather conservative, but that doesn't mean that I'll see the word sex and turn off my powers of critical thinking.

But, look, how old are you? I don't remember offhand, but I don't think you're older than I am; if you are, it's not by much. If you go to a public school or even a reasonably normal private school, you know the way that people actually act. Maybe you disapprove of much of it; that's fine, and I don't care. But I'm sure you can look at the word "sexting" and know that that's not something that actually happens. The word is a media creation, much like many other things of this nature.

Look where this is coming from. It's a Lifetime movie. That's not news; it's entertainment. It's designed to titillate and to appeal to our emotions. There are few things that do that more surely than the suggestion that our children (specifically our white girls) might be sexing one another. There's a lurid fascination in our culture with adolescent sexuality, which compels us even as we profess disgust. In these matters, only the visceral reaction has any significance at all; it matters not whether there exists any real truth, so long as it reinforces our preconceived notions. Was anyone actually having rainbow parties? No, but what difference did that make? The suggestion of rainbow parties was quite enough.

Related is the idea that this is somehow a new thing, that such depravity never existed before. This notion is a convenient one, as it lets us say that we were never this way when we were teenagers. It lets us feel better about ourselves even as we take voyeuristic pleasure as we gawk. In thirty years, people will be saying the same things again, just as they were saying the same things thirty years ago. If you are to condemn this society as depraved, you must do the same for every other society that has ever existed; I wouldn't necessarily disagree, but that's not a particularly profound or interesting thought.

[HAnnA MArin County]

The movie did blow things out of proportion but the coach went to the national media to tell her side of the story. Critics say she did so only for the money but I don't recall the coach being sued for slander if this story wasn't true? We'll never know for sure because we weren't at this high school but it shines light on the snotty behavior of teenagers today who feel entitled to have everything they want and have no respect for authority. I think these parents enabled their daughter's behaviors. It seems so many parents nowadays are living out their teenage years through their children by wanting to be friends with them instead of being their parents.

In this situation, I tend to blame the principal for failing to discipline equally. These girls' behavior was no different than what you'd find at any other high school in the country; they only did what they did because they could, and no one stopped them. It's only natural for 17-year-olds to want to push the envelope.

If any of you want to see pictures of these girls, the principal's daughter Karrissa has them posted on her MySpace page and Flickr; just Google Karrissa Theret.

[Хahar 🤔]

the snotty behavior of teenagers today who feel entitled to have everything they want and have no respect for authority

How is this different from any other time?

[King]

Xahar is correct, of course.

[Oakvale]

Xahar is correct, of course.

***** 5 stars for Xahar's post. A++

[Bacon King]

But I'm sure you can look at the word "sexting" and know that that's not something that actually happens. The word is a media creation, much like many other things of this nature.

How are you defining "sexting" here? I was exchanging sexually explicit text messages with girls throughout most of my high school years; I've always been under the impression that was a relatively normal/common thing?

(Regardless, I agree with King and oakvale; your post is spot-on)

[Kaine for Senate '18]

Xahar is correct, of course.

Agreed.

[Хahar 🤔]

But I'm sure you can look at the word "sexting" and know that that's not something that actually happens. The word is a media creation, much like many other things of this nature.

How are you defining "sexting" here? I was exchanging sexually explicit text messages with girls throughout most of my high school years; I've always been under the impression that was a relatively normal/common thing?

I suppose I was a bit unclear there. I was referring to the word, which nobody actually uses, and to the idea that it represents, that being that this is some sort of strange new thing enabled by the magical technology. It's the sort of thing designed to incite moral panic (and it has).

[Dr. Cynic]

Wait... So, my question is, why the hell were you watching Lifetime?!

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

If our in-house Fab involved?