The rah-rah (or ra-ra) skirt is a short flounced, layered skirt that originated in

cheerleading Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense Physical exercise, physical activity. It can be performed to motivate s ...

and became a popular fashion trend among teenage girls in the early 1980s. It marked, as the ''Oxford Dictionary'' noted, the first successful attempt to revive the miniskirt that had been introduced in the mid-1960s. Gifi Fields claimed that he co-created the rah-rah skirt with designer Angela Stone, but there are also claims that the skirt was created by Norma Kamali. Later in the 1980s, it was often worn with leather, denim or lace. In the 1990s, the miniskirt regained popularity on its own, largely eschewing the frills of the rah-rah. The latter made a comeback in Britain in 2008, with a headline in ''

London Lite ''London Lite'' was the trading name of a British free daily newspaper, published by Associated Newspapers (part of Daily Mail and General Trust), and now defunct. It was available Monday to Friday afternoons and evenings from street distributo ...

'' proclaiming: "Eighties look is all the ra-rave." Examples of the rah-rah could be seen on the covers of music albums such as '' Since Yesterday'' by Strawberry Switchblade (1984).

Etymology

''Rah-rah'' is a reduplicationMerriam-Webster: Rah-rah
/ref> of an abbreviation for "hurrah",Merriam-Webster: Rah
/ref> which is used as a synonym for "cheering".

History

While the rah-rah skirt originated in

, it was introduced to mainstream fashion in 1982. It was popular in the 1980s until the mini skirt regained popularity, but the rah-rah experienced a resurgence in 2008.

Notes

{{Clothing 1980s fashion Skirts