Question: A friend of mine was at a parade on Canal Street and told me that his girlfriend got a coconut. Apparently, she had to bare her breasts to get one. Can you tell me the story behind that? Answer: She didn't have to bare her breasts. You see, during Mardi Gras, the coconuts are a great treasure, and they are hard to get. That is also true for the beautiful beads that many throw. Some people will do anything to get them. Because the people throwing the treasures know that, they will sometimes take advantage of women by asking them to show their breasts for them. Please tell your friend that no one has to do anything they don't want to do, and those who request women to do so can be arrested on the parade route. Question: I've heard that it's a tradition on Bourbon Street for women to bare their breasts to the crowd for beads.
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It is that time of year again where the lives of everyone in New Orleans is going to take a turn for the crazy… Mardi Gras. The next two installments of this column are going to be dedicated to some sexual preparations needed to come out relatively unscathed by this debaucheries of the holiday. I for one have never been scolded for handing out condoms to random strangers, save for that time at church. Just make sure you are storing them properly and by properly I mean, not in a wallet, glove compartment or cooler. Condoms can be crushed and the precious air bubble inside popped, resulting in air exposure, which can cause the condom to breakdown prematurely and possibly break during intercourse and we all know how that can ruin a weekend. Keeping them stored in areas where they will be exposed to large variations in temperature will also cause it to become less dependable.
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Not surprisingly, researcher Craig Forsyth found alcohol consumption plays a role in the decision to parade one's private parts, and a lot of alcohol is consumed during Mardi Gras. According to a survey of attendees reported in the Journal of Sex Research , "68 percent of the men and 63 percent of the women reported having at least five or six drinks per sitting. Almost one-quarter of the men reported having at least 16 drinks per sitting; 15 percent of women reported the same. The survey, by Robin Milhausen of the University of Windsor, Canada, found 32 percent of those surveyed reported engaging in vaginal sex with someone they met at Mardi Gras. New Orleans' annual Mardi Gras celebration has attracted a parade of social scientists over the years. The "sexual risk-taking" Milhausen found among straight festivalgoers also occurred among gay men, according to a paper in the Journal of Community Health. A survey taken in "the gay-oriented section of the French Quarter" during the Mardi Gras found nearly half of sexually active gay men reported having sex with a partner of unknown HIV status during the festival. The surveyed men were from 23 states and 92 different ZIP codes, which gives some idea of how easily HIV infections that occurred in New Orleans could spread. These men were well educated 89 percent had at least some college education and well informed about how HIV is transmitted.
Fat Tuesday — the day before lent and the last opportunity to gouge, merry-make, and be gluttonous before the religious and ceremonial-laced fast. People expect a wild party with copious amounts of booze, boobs, and free sex probably because of the booze and lowered inhibitions. The biggest or not biggest surprise is … excessive drinking will be your worse enemy during this festival. First and foremost, too much hooch impairs your ability to consent to sex. After that, many people underestimate the crowds. New Orleans is a small city of a few hundred thousand, but it explodes to over a million for a couple days.
