From honey shots to swimsuit calendars, sex has long been part of the cheerleaders’ brand. But is the provocative tease a relic of another era? For episode transcripts and bonus content related to the show, visit texasmonthly.com.

It’s not just about being the right weight. It’s about having the right hair, the right skin, the right boobs, the right legs. Only a very particular kind of beautiful woman gets to wear that uniform. For episode transcripts and bonus content related to the show, visit texasmonthly.com.

No appearances near alcohol. No fraternizing with players. Being a Cowboys cheerleader has always meant living by a long list of rules. But do those rules help protect the cheerleaders, or control them? For episode transcripts and bonus content related to the show, visit texasmonthly.com.

The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders uniform is iconic, a symbol of Texas culture for half a century. But its origin story remains remarkably unsettled. For episode transcripts and bonus content related to the show, visit texasmonthly.com.

A group of former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders pose topless in Playboy, and the Cowboys go to court to protect their brand. For episode transcripts and bonus content related to the show, visit texasmonthly.com.

The cheerleaders enjoy the glamor of sudden fame, while grappling with low pay and the dangers of celebrity. For episode transcripts and bonus content related to the show, visit texasmonthly.com.

The modern Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders launch in 1972 and rocket to national fame. For episode transcripts and bonus content related to the show, visit texasmonthly.com.

For 50 years, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders have been a global phenomenon, endlessly photographed, televised and commercialized. They began as an experiment and became America’s sweethearts, a very Texas hybrid of pageant beauty, good-girl etiquette, and come-hither slink. But what’s always been missing from their story is the voices of the cheerleaders themselves—until now. Bestselling author Sarah Hepola hosts this journey through the wild and glamorous saga of a sideline spectacle that changed sports, fashion, entertainment, and countless childhoods of boys and girls like her.