Bead Whores

The practice of exposing the female breasts in exchange for throws (trinkets and beads thrown from floats) from Mardi Gras parade floats in the New Orleans area has become so commonplace that the term bead whore has emerged to describe women who participate in this activity. During the Mardi Gras festival in New Orleans, traditionally culminating the day before Ash Wednesday, many things normally forbidden are permitted. People walk around virtually nude; men and women expose themselves from balconies; and laws that attempt to define morality are informally suspended. The greatest tradition of Mardi Gras is promiscuous masking. Although masking is only allowed on Mardi Gras day, the idea of masking pervades the season. The season itself becomes a mask for any outrageous behavior. For many, what they do during Mardi Gras does not count as a mark on their character.

Mardi Gras as it occurs in New Orleans and surrounding areas involves balls and parades. These balls and parades are produced by carnival clubs called krewes. Parades consist of 15 to 40 floats and several marching bands. The floats roll through the streets of New Orleans. People line up on both sides of the street. The behavior of the day spread to any time there was a parade. Historically, there has been an active relationship between the float rider and viewer. Since 1850, as participants became more active, behavior has become more outrageous. As behavior became more offensive to some, family celebrations migrated to the suburbs. This had the effect of removing the censors from the scene and both concentrating and attracting the norm violators. The float riders and the viewers on the street engage in a sort of game. The riders have bags full of beads or other trinkets, which they throw out to the viewers along the route. The crowds scream at the riders to throw them something. Parents put their children on their shoulders or have ladders with seats constructed on the top to gain some advantage. These advantages have become fixtures, and Mardi Gras ladders are sold at most local hardware stores. Other advantages are if the viewer knows someone on the float or is physically closer to the float. Another technique is to be located in temporary stands constructed along the parade route that seat members of the other carnival krewes in the city or other members of the parading krewe. Since the 1970s, another technique emerged. Women started to expose their breasts in exchange for throws. The practice has added another permanent slogan to the parade route. Many float riders carry signs that say “show me your tits;” others merely motion to the women to expose themselves. In some cases, women initiate the encounter by exposing their breasts without any prompting on the part of the float rider.