About 250 models from Germany, Austria and Luxembourg took part in the annual two-day cow beauty contest in the northern city of Oldenburg in Holstein, Germany.

‘Loh Nasty girl’ won the beauty contest. “She had many strengths from back to front,” said judge Marko Radke

The backstage area was used for grooming and beautifying the cows using hair dryers and frantic brushing.  As Astrid Ostkämper, one of 12 cow hairdressers whose job was to make cows look their best for the night, puts it: “It is just like with us people – primping helps,” -while helping the big black-and-white cow Dorflady with her hair.

Ostkämper explains that she uses a razor blade to trim the hair on Dorflady’s legs, as well as her belly. “That way one can display the veins better,” she said.  A good blood supply is an important beauty ideal for heifers, she said, as well as powerful legs, bulging udders and a strong bone structure. “A bony cow has no chance,” said Ostkämper.

Ostkämper  had to work on 19 cows for the show, and has been getting up at 4am to make sure she can get to them all. And of course getting up at 4am is not a problem for the cow contesters, since, unlike their human counterparts, they do not need to party until early morning after a successful show. They are happy with just an extra shovelful of grass for the occasion and would rather go to bed at sunset.

Another cow hairdresser attending the competition is Welshman Rhys Jones. He has travelled to Germany for the occasion. “You have to be a bit mad to do this. You have to travel a lot and work hard, but you get to know a lot of people,” he said, and of course a lot of cow models as well.

We in FFE magazine would like to take the opportunity to congratulate ‘Loh Nasty girl’ for winning the beauty contest.

Photos from DPA