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“Bra”ntosaurus.

Parting of the C’s.

The Over-the-Shoulder Boulder Holder.

“I didn’t know it was going to be so artsy,” Christi Wiley of Pomona, Calif., marveled as she ventured past entries for the “Bras for the Cause” exhibit Friday at the Quadrennial Assembly women’s meeting of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) denomination.

The bras weren’t made to be worn.

The contest — with the owl-inspired Ain’t that a Hooter and the I Am a Survivor with pink netting and pictures of actual breast cancer survivors attached — raises awareness of women’s health issues. The conference has drawn 2,000 delegates from across the country and around the world.

“Women have gotten into the spirit in ways we’ve never imagined,” said Judy Row, president of the International Disciple Women’s Ministry and a breast cancer survivor.

The contest was announced months before the conference, and women were asked to design a bra and pay a $10 entry fee.

Delegates paid $1 for each vote, with the money raised going to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for cancer research.
Some entries have simple painted-on themes.

Others are more complex with a professional costume feel.

Take Colonozcopy, which plays off “The Wizard of Oz,” and features tiny monkeys on brooms, red ruby slippers, a yellow fabric background and Dorothy carrying a basket.

Another features two baby dolls — symbolizing “the girls.”

“You will see ones that make you cry — and others where you’ll catch yourself asking, 'Should I laugh at this?’” said Linda Houston, a California nurse and one of the organizers.

The women, who are in town through Sunday, also worked on a Habitat House, distributed 5,000 used books delegates brought for the elderly and packaged hygiene kits to be sent to places such as Haiti.

The “Bras for the Cause” organizers want the women attending the conference take the idea back to their hometowns.

“At first I thought, what can you do with a bra?” said Rosalind Davis of Gurnee, Ill., who is already planning a similar fundraiser.

“I had to go out and buy a camera. I was like, how do I describe this? This is brilliant.”

Wiley’s favorites include a bra designed with a three-dimensional oversized Panda covering one cup, and bamboo and tropical leaves protruding from the other.

“It took a lot of imagination to put this together,” Stella Thurston of Washington, N.C.

She marveled at that Over-The-Shoulder Boulder Holder with straps of woven satin through steel, and cups of laced chicken wire holding together rocks.

The winner will be announced later today, but $4,000 had been raised by late Friday.

Can we get a “Bralleluia,” as one entry was titled?

Contact Nancy McLaughlin at 373-7049 or nancy.mclaughlin@news-record.com