Girl Kicked Out of Cheerleading Team Because of Her Curly Hair

A cheerleader in Texas was removed from her team for failing to straighten her naturally curly locks. The team’s leaders said her hair was fine for practice, but it would need to be straightened and styled in a high ponytail for competitions. “It was bad because half of it was curl and half of it wasn’t,” said 11-year-old Makayla Fallaw.

The girl’s mother, Jenny Fallaw, told KTRK-TV she was upset at the cheerleading team for demanding her daughter change her hair. “I felt like it might make my daughter feel like her hair is not good enough because she’s not like other girls,” Fallaw said. Makayla had been involved in the sport since she was four years old. “Just a few weeks ago is the first time I had heard about a special hairstyle,” said Fallaw. She had met with the team’s officials to explain why she didn’t think her daughter needed to comply. “It would destroy her hair, so I wanted to explain to them my reasoning,” Fallaw said.

“When you come into the sport, you understand there is makeup to it. There’s hair to it,” said Kevin Tonner, director of Woodlands Elite Cheer. He says they were willing to compromise with Fallaw, but it was ultimately her attitude that got her daughter kicked off the team. “Long story short, it got heated, we respectfully asked her leave,” said Tonner.