While some teams practice regular weigh-ins, others take their commitment to thinness one step further by instituting a three-pound rule. During each weigh-in, cheerleaders have to be within three pounds of their “ideal weight.”
A cheerleader’s ideal weight isn’t based on health and wellness data. Instead, it’s usually considered to be the weight the woman was at when she first auditioned. If she fails to meet that weight, she could be pulled from the next game or even benched for the entire season.
They Must Avoid Hot Topics
Yes, there are still more things that cheerleaders aren’t allowed to talk about. Beyond their approved conversation topics during the games, cheerleaders also have to steer clear of “hot topics” in all settings. These banned topics include strong opinions, politics, and religion.
Basically, cheerleaders aren’t allowed to have an opinion, and they’re certainly not allowed to express the ones they do have. If they want to represent the team well, they have to give up everything they care about and simply keep the peace, whether they’re at the games or not.
They’re Regularly Weighed
Cheerleaders are supposed to be ultra-hot. After all, they’re like NFL jewelry. To ensure that cheerleaders stay in shape, they’re subject to regular weigh-ins to prove that they haven’t put on a few pounds.
The weigh-ins also give the leaders of the team a chance to look at the girls’ bodies. Beyond putting on a little weight, their bodies are not allowed to change in any significant way. These rules don’t even apply to a little extra padding – cheerleaders also can’t pack on muscle or lose too much of their definition for fear of consequences.
Their Bodies Can’t Jiggle
A cheerleader’s physical appearance and body is the main focus of many of the rules in the NFL. Some teams even go so far as to perform a “jiggle test” to ensure that the girls look impossibly good while they’re dancing.
During the jiggle test, the women have to do jumping jacks while their boss watches. If their bodies jiggle too much, they’re reprimanded and sometimes banned from performing at the games. The test was referred to as a “physique evaluation,” but the women knew it was just a chance to take girls who weren’t thin enough off the field.
They Can’t Bring the Wrong Pom-Poms
Pom-poms are the primary accessory of all cheerleaders. However, cheerleaders in the NFL have more than one set of pom-poms that match their different outfits for the games. While that might get confusing, the teams don’t react kindly if the cheerleaders get their pom-poms mixed up.
If cheerleaders bring the wrong pom-poms to the game, they face a fine. For cheerleaders, a simple mistake could end up being a costly one.