Dozens of naked bicyclists paraded through the streets of New Orleans on Saturday, taking advantage of the city’s “anything goes” attitude towards public nudity to raise awareness of bicycle safety, the New Orleans Times-Picayune is reporting.
New Orleans has been known as “The Big Easy” for going on a century now, although nobody can say for certain why. But we can unequivocally say that it’s “easy” to get away with things there that will get you thrown into the clink in Tulsa or Indianapolis. In The Big Easy, not only can you lead a parade of naked bicyclists through town, you can do so to cheering crowds, with a police escort.
Most of the riders were as naked as the day they were born. Others were mostly-nude – wearing merely a hat, for example, or generously dusting their bodies with glitter (glitter which almost certainly melted off immediately in the Crescent City’s famously-soupy summer weather). Many wore shoes, of course, and helmets. A handful of prudes wore Speedos or bikini bottoms.
Ironically, the person who wore the most was the guest of honor, burlesque dancer Trixie Minx, who was borne behind the cops in a pedicab.
“It’s actually sort of nice. I’ve got to be honest, I’m quite impressed with the creativity. Specifically from the men; just how they’re accessorizing when they have no clothes on.”
Of course, the Inquisitr can’t show you any nudity, so here’s a generic picture of the city’s French Quarter.
New Orleanians were generally accepting of the nude cyclists – really, you’ll see much, much worse at the city’s famed St. Patrick’s Day or Mardi Gras debauches, although Times-Picayun e reporter Doug MacCash notes that some residents weren’t at all pleased with the fact that the riders were disrobing at a park where children could have been playing.
Perhaps not surprisingly, considering that the event has the word “World” right there in the title, naked bike rides took place in other cities this weekend, too. A Torontonian Twitter user was, apparently, not made aware of what would be happening when he drove through town. Since his tweet contains nudity, we can’t embed it here – just click this link if you’re in a humor to see naked bicyclists pedaling through Toronto.
“Oh cripes! There was NO preparing for this sight as I rounded the corner onto Yonge Street just now. The World Naked Bike Ride… boobs and willies galore.”
Similar naked bike rides took place in Chicago, London, Zaragoza, and Vancouver, among others.
