By SAMANTHA CHOW
alltherage@thestar.com.my
SOCIAL media can be pretty bad for a teenager’s confidence, according to cheerleader Genevieve Liew, 17.
“Society today has a very high standard of what true beauty is. Just scrolling through Instagram can take a toll on your self-esteem,” said Liew. “Teens will always feel the need to conform to those standards.”
Thankfully, Liew is part of a growing community of teenagers in Malaysia who are turning to cheerleading, a sport which is all about confidence and athletic grace under pressure.
Liew (standing centre) says cheerleading helps to build confidence, and that is important for a teen who is experiencing changes in his/her skin and body. – Photos: YAP CHEE HONG/The Star
Liew is the captain of the Cyrens cheer squad from SM Sri Kuala Lumpur, one of the top cheerleading schools in the country.
The school’s cheerleaders train all year long, and while their fitness routines would be a decent workout for most professional athletes, their coach also spends a lot of time developing their confidence.
That’s because the sport is also a form of self-expression, said Liew, which allows teens to develop their personalities while leading an active lifestyle.
“Cheerleading trains me to feel more confident, which helps when I’m doing presentations in school, and it’ll definitely help in the long run with my future as well,” said Liew.
Because of that, Clean & Clear has decided to lend its support to the local cheerleading community – by signing up as the official skincare partner of CHEER 2015, Malaysia’s largest cheerleading competition.
Clean & Clear has been encouraging teens around the world to express themselves without fear of being judged through their global See The Real Me campaign, and they hope to do the same here in Malaysia, especially through our cheerleaders.
According to June Yap, group brand manager of Johnson & Johnson Sdn Bhd, Clean & Clear has always instilled confidence among teenagers by helping them with the inevitable skincare problems many will go through.
Senior General Manager of Advertising & Business Development of Star Media Group Berhad Chin Seow Ping (left) with Yap. “CHEER is the right platform for Clean & Clear to reinforce the brand’s direction in encouraging confidence and the freedom of expression in teens,” said Yap. – Photos: AZMAN GHANI/The Star
“As teens, their skin will experience a lot of changes, and we want to help them through it,” said Yap.
The brand’s basic range, My Essential, is a starter kit for teens to cleanse, tone and moisturise.
“It’s important that teenagers start a skincare regime at a young age, instead of only looking for a solution when they experience skin problems,” she added.
Participants of CHEER 2015 can expect fabulous prizes from Clean & Clear. The brand is sponsoring products for the winners of the three main divisions (All-Girls, Co-Ed and All-Girls Junior), and they’ll be sponsoring the Best Showmanship category as well, where the winning team is selected based on overall team spirit and choreography.
Clean & Clear will also be giving away prizes to some lucky spectators at the CHEER 2015 finals, which will be held on Aug 15, 8am-6pm, at Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre. Admission is free for everyone, so make sure you drop by! The annual CHEER finals, held since 2000, is one of the biggest secondary school sports events in the country. It draws around 35 teams and 10,000 spectators every year!
Yap has personally experienced the positive spirit at CHEER, despite never being involved in the sport. Her nieces used to be cheerleaders, and when she attended CHEER a few years ago, she saw how the event was a bonding experience for friends and family.
“For this year’s CHEER, we are expecting the cheerleaders to come together to express themselves in a different way,” said Yap. “We hope to see them step up their game and bring something different to the table. Bring it on!”
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