Cheerleaders have a variety of uniforms, many of which are rather revealing. While girls don’t mind wearing these ensembles to the games, the Oakland Raiderettes took it one step further by demanding that their cheerleaders wear two-piece outfits to Tuesday practices.
The 2012 etiquette agreement demanded that women expose their midriff every Tuesday without fail. If the girls didn’t wear a two-piece outfit, they were fined $10.
They Must Sell Calendars During the Games
Another aspect of a cheerleaders’ job involves posing for the calendar for their specific NFL team. It requires a big photo shoot where the girls look their best, but the job doesn’t stop there. Cheerleaders are also required to sell a certain amount of calendars during the games.
Some teams require their cheerleaders to sell 20 calendars per day. Others demand that the girls sell 50 per quarter of the game. No matter how ridiculous the expectations are, the cheerleaders are then fined if they don’t meet their quota and the cost of the calendars is deducted from their paychecks.
They Can Only Take Water Breaks During Offense
The Buffalo Bills aren’t the only team setting ridiculous standards for their cheerleaders. The Carolina Panthers also have some pretty strict rules they expect their girls to follow. While cheerleaders must stay standing for the entire game, they’re also limited in their water breaks.
The Panthers cheerleaders could only drink water when the players were on offense. No matter the physical demands of the job, cheerleaders had to abide by this rule or face the consequences.
They Must Maintain Their Hygiene
Asking that cheerleaders maintain their personal hygiene isn’t entirely absurd. Everyone should maintain their hygiene, especially if they’re working in close quarters with other people. However, cheerleading handbooks got a little too specific about what it meant to maintain personal hygiene.
The handbook for the Buffalo Bills’ cheerleaders demanded that the women change their feminine products every four hours, among other highly personal stipulations. While the rule itself is ridiculous, it’s also preposterous to consider how they would enforce such an outrageous mandate.
They Can’t Use Loofas or Sponges
When the cheerleaders’ handbooks address personal hygiene, certain teams take that as an opportunity to control their women even further. Some teams stipulated the cheerleaders weren’t allowed to use loofas or sponges because they’re known to carry bacteria.
While loofas and sponges might carry bacteria, it’s not an employer’s job to tell you what you can and can’t wash with. By controlling every aspect of a cheerleader’s hygiene process, the NFL way oversteps their bounds.