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 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 Wear Two-Piece Outfits On Tuesdays
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 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.
They Must Use Approved Products
As if the hygiene rules aren’t bad enough already, some NFL teams like the Buffalo Bills decided to dictate which products their cheerleaders could use.
In the Bills’ handbook, an entire section outlined the appropriate products for women to use when washing their private areas. They weren’t allowed to use anything scented or chemically-enhanced. While we’re not sure how this mandate was enforced, the girls could potentially face consequences if their bosses found that they weren’t following the rules.