Naked Cowgirl
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NAKED COWGIRL:
STORY SUMMERY:
Louisa Holmlund, 25, from Portland, Oregon made her debut as a "Naked Cowgirl" at the tip of a traffic island at 45th Street in the middle of Times Square, New York in September 2005 and now claims the same spot five or six days a week since.
For eight-plus hours, sheÕll stand in Times Square wearing only the pasties, a micro-mini skirt resembling US flag, white boots, a cowboy hat and a smile. She sling a guitar strap around her freckled shoulders and perches herself at the tip of a traffic island at 45th Street in the middle of Times Square. The words ÒNaked CowgirlÓ adorn her guitar in glued-on capital letters, punctuated with three stars: one red, one white, one blue. Strumming random chords on her guitar and singing the occasional song. Her voice is barely audible but that doesnÕt matter. No one cares what she sings. Everyone does care, in some fashion, that she is practically naked in the middle of Times Square.
From the country to the city, from tropical islands to traffic islands, her goal is to surprise the people from all over the world that pass by her. Passing tourists canÕt resist taking a picture with the Cowgirl, so the customers come in droves: men and women, boys and girls, single, married, old and young. After almost every photo Ð at busy times she poses about every two minutes Ð someone stuffs cash into her boot. They know where to put it because the word ÒTipsÓ runs down HolmlundÕs leg in black marker, with an arrow. The allure leads to plenty of tips Ð $300 a night on average.
Indeed, few passersby are offended; most find her amusing. And sheÕs deftly learned to ignore the scumbags. She was arrested for indecent exposure in Nashville once and three times in Times Square.
As it gets colder, sheÕll play for shorter stints. In January and February, itÕs off to Spain for vacation. Come March, more skin in Times Square.
CAPTION INFO:
Louisa Holmlund alias "Naked Cowgirl" looks at a skyscrapper before her perfoma
