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 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 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 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.
They Can’t Wear Undergarments
On game days, most cheerleaders are prohibited from wearing undergarments with their skimpy ensemble. Instead, they have to go au-naturel for fear that their garments might pop out during a game.
To ensure that cheerleaders adjust to this rule, some teams forced their girls to go commando during practice. While the rule makes sense in some regards, it can’t be the most comfortable feeling for the cheerleaders.