Ben-Gals
© Lauren GreenfieldMeet the Ben-Gals – the elite group of women who cheer for the NFL football team, the Cincinnati Bengals. An unexpected ensemble of women, including a Stanford-educated engineer, a cancer biologist, a single mother and construction worker and a third generation Ben-Gal, come together for $75 a game to cheer for their team in front of 60,000 screaming fans. For the 30 women who make the squad out of the hundreds who try out, it is a dream come true. To become a Ben-Gal, the women are judged on dance talent, physical beauty, self-discipline and achievement of target weight. Every week, the 30 women are whittled down to 24 who get to cheer on the field on Game Day. Constant competition, strict rules and discipline, and goals of "perfection" keep them on their toes in their quest to remain what one Ben-Gal describes as the “total package.”
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