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Everyone has seen the risque videos of girls flashing their breasts to get Mardi Gras beads. It’s become an iconic symbol of the holiday, and it stirs up a lot of controversy. But the question is, how did this tradition get started?

Flashing for beads is not a very widespread Mardi Gras tradition. Cultures all over the world celebrate Mardi Gras or similar Carnival festivals just before the start of Lent. All of them have similar parties but only a few places have the beads tradition, most notably New Orleans, and that’s where it started.

New Orleans holds Mardi Gras parades every year. Different organizations, called krewes, participate in the parades. Each krewe decorates its own float(s), plans its own theme and, of course, stocks up on things throw throw to the crowd (cleverly called “throws”).

The throws started as a way to attract the most attention. Different krewes march at different times, so to get people to come see them they would toss out toys and goodies. The most common throws are the strings of Mardi Gras beads, fake doubloons, and little cups. However, krewes always have some special goodies to give away. For one krewe it’s decorated shoes; for another it’s hand-painted coconuts.

Obviously, no krewe can have enough of these for everyone in the crowd. Competition over the best throws is fierce. However, ladies have one advantage in catching the eyes of the krewes, and so the idea of flashing to get a throw was born.