I think that cheer uniforms are only appropriate in the context of a cheer competition. I don't think they're appropriate, particularly crop tops, to be worn out in public - in a mall, hotel, theme park, whatever - all the places that are often attached to a competition venue. Yes, you could argue that if you're in the venue you should be able to wear your crop top, but those girls tend not to cover up when they leave the venue. The competition I was at in Providence this weekend is attached to a mall, and in prior years I've seen girls running around the mall in their crop tops. That's no okay. I'm sorry. So if telling a girl she has to put a t-shirt over her crop top when she's not competing stops that from happening, then I don't really have a problem with it personally. It's also important to remember that sometimes we're not the only event going on in a convention center.
I was primarily referring to inside the comp itself. My CP will frequently cover up because she's chilly or whatever anyway - and she covers completely when outside of the venue. A previous poster referred to pics - and i admit that is my primary hang up with this rule. My CP happens to be one of those pleasers that wants to follow the rules, and when i asked her yesterday to take off her jacket so that I could snap a few pics - she was genuinely afraid of "getting caught". It drives me crazy that we live in a day and age where common sense is lost and everything has to have a rule.