Pink Boots and A Machete: My Journey from NFL Cheerleader to National Geographic Explorer

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Mireya is the kind of role model for me and for women & girls across the world. She is not your stereotypical explorer and she's not ashamed that she loves "girlie" things. She's always loved animals and dreamed of exploring in the jungle one day. She becomes an NFL cheerleader (which will always be brought up in regards to her career) and later goes on to get an anthropology degree, explore across the world, become a National Geographic host, and to earn her Ph.D. The writing was therefore better than expected, though not great. It's conversational, but so much is left out! As other Goodreads reviewers have noted, she starts a story, gets to the climax, and then ends it. The example someone else has given of hanging off a mountainside and noticing that her rope was fraying, and then suddenly she's at the top of the mountain, is typical.

In an age of tell-alls and TMZ, Mayor shows remarkable restraint in what she chooses to reveal about her personal life. I loved that, too. I loved the simple and limited way she describes meeting and falling in love with her husband (as well as what she tells, which isn't much, about the circumstances of their meeting and their romance). The writing style bothered me, though. It was too conversational for my taste, the narration was disjointed, and everything seemed too rushed. Not long after an animal was introduced, the narration was rushing on to the next animal or next adventure. I wanted more closures rather than just glances. And the constant reminder that she was a cheerleader got to be a bit annoying. We just can’t take our eyes off this beautiful cheerleader’s abs — we can’t even imagine having abs as great as hers. While this lady here has certainly worked her on her body, she hasn’t given much thought to her cheerleading face. This one closed eye and tongue out face is certainly not working in her favour. The One with Too Much Teeth

OOPS!

As a result of her credentials and her enthusiasm, there's a pretty good (and important) story in this book. This, I suspect, is why Jane Goodall wrote the forward. And so began our lifelong friendship. I soon found myself hanging out less with friends, opting instead to spend hours in her office. One of her most memorable trips was to Madagascar, where she and a colleague were studying lemurs. They set small mammal traps in the jungle to study the other wildlife in the area. I was surprised to find that the book really isn't about her metaphorical 'journey' from cheerleader to National Geographic explorer. It's much more about her actual journeys into jungles and rain forests and deserts. It touches briefly on being a cheerleader and then applying to go on an expedition. That's about it for the metaphorical journey. The hive like mind of pro wrestling fans then created what is now known as "Fandangoing," which is, quite simply, dancing and singing along to Fandango's theme song.

I swear at times while reading this book, I could almost smell a marketing-oriented ghostwriter. Or maybe an editor who went way too far in messing with the voice. Because seriously, did she really, only shortly after surviving a near-death encounter with a frayed rope, look down at her fingers and notice that she needed a manicure? ("I was scared and excited but still noticed how grimy my nails were. No question, I needed a manicure."[187]) This book is peppered with these beauty/fashionista/Cheerleader reminders and more often than not, they seem really out of place. Time for another cheerleading fact: While Princeton was the first university to enjoy cheers from the stands, the University of Minnesota gets the credit for having the very first cheerleader who directed the crowd. In 1923, the Uniiversity of Minnesota also became the first university to allow women to participate in the sports. The Guy with Too Much Spirit In the cheerleading world exists a rule: if you throw someone in the air, make sure to catch them. When you look at this picture, you realize three of the four girls followed the rule and did their part but the fourth cheerleader probably lost her focus. This picture tells us what happens when cheerleaders lose their focus and things go wrong. We told you, cheerleading isn’t as easy as it looks. What a Crappy Day I could not put this book down. I read it in an entire day. This is because a) it is a thrilling and fascinating series of stories & b) it is a very smooth read.Cheerleading fact: The film Bring It On which starred Eliza Dushku, Gabrielle Union and Kristen Dunst, was a popular hit and added to the popularity of cheerleading as a sport. Here’s Why White Does Not Make a Great Cheerleading Uniform I had never heard of Mireya Mayor before I entered a Goodreads giveaway for it. Apparently I don't watch enough TV. So I didn't expect very good writing. Being a male cheerleader isn’t easy. To start with, male cheerleaders do not enjoy the same kind of popularity as their female counterparts. However, more importantly, male cheerleaders often have to lift their fellow squad members and perform moves and step which require a lot of physical strength. For instance, the guy in this picture is certainly trying very hard but he clearly does not have the strength for it.

Here's an excerpt from one: "the show can't decide whether to treat Mayor as an expert, or as the title and location hint, a bit of a sex symbol." He then added, "But throughout the show she wears a wool cap and drab clothes that just beg us to take her seriously." This was in contrast to the observation of another critic, who wrote, "Explorers require rugged gear, the sort Indiana Jones girds himself in. Then there's Mireya Mayor, a sexy blond explorer. She fills out a tank top nicely." I can't win. If I wear tank tops, I'm vying for attention. If I cover up, it's only because I want to be taken seriously. Regardless, the first critic lost all credibility when he called my clothes drab. They were both hip and designer.

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Perhaps out in the jungle of Madagascar, there would be nobody to judge her except for the lemurs. Unfortunately, this attitude existed even in the field both among researchers and among TV crews: I started noticing that my hands were swelling," she says. "And then spontaneous wounds started appearing and red streaks started going up my leg." But some of her fans might be surprised by what Mayor was up to before she trekked around remote regions of the world.