They may not appropriate for public viewing, but they’ll be on display at the rodeo.
It’s the Bedazzled Bras, a unique exhibit hosted by the North Dakota State Fair this past July, when 30 bras were designed and entered in the contest.
The public was invited to decorate a bra in whatever fashion they chose, then enter it in the contest at the State Fair. There were five categories in which decorated bras were judged: Pretty in Pink, Rodeo, Agriculture/Livestock, Calendar Girls, and Spirit of America.
Former North Dakota Attorney General Heidi Heitkamp, herself a breast cancer survivor, judged the contest, and the winner won $1,000.
Entries were varied and unique, said State Fair coordinator Jennifer Ashley. “They were beautiful. It’s crazy how cool they were.” Some of the entries included a bra made entirely of duct tape, with the words “holding it together” written on the inside. The winning western bra was made of handkerchiefs, cowboy hats, and had lights sewn into it, and some of the bras included elaborate beadwork.
“Exhibitors said they spent dozens of hours working on their bras,” Ashley said. “And even the people who didn’t win said it was well worth it because it helped speak out to such a great cause.”
The winning bras will be auctioned off during the Business After Hours Barbecue in Minot on October 3, with funds raised going to the Trinity Health Care Exercise Rehab Program at the Minot Family YMCA.
The Bedazzled Bra contest was held in partnership with the Minot Y’s Men’s Rodeo’s Tough Enough to Wear Pink night, which helps raise funding for cancer patients. The rodeo’s pink night is October 5. Tickets and more information are available at www.MinotYsMensRodeo.com.